Leading the Movement. Driving the Industry. Feeding the Community. These three powerful statements combined into a vision have served us well over the past several years. So why change?
INFRA has grown over the past few years, responding to a changing industry, an evolving membership, and internal leadership and board transitions. We also experienced, like everyone, a global pandemic which inevitably led to shifts in our customers’ habits, in our supply chain’s reliance on technology, and in the way we do business. Late last year the board and INFRA leadership discussed the need for a new vision: one that will guide us forward over the next five years and ensure that we stay true to our values.
After several months of brainstorming, meeting, revising, meeting, discussing, and meeting some more, we came to a consensus. We agreed that our members were our most important stakeholders, that purposeful growth was imperative to survival, and that our member stores serve our local communities better than anyone else in our industry. We envisioned a great future for INFRA, one that was attainable with hard work and commitment. We looked forward five years and saw that our combined impact on local economies would grow from almost 600 communities today to 1,000 communities, and maybe more.
Our new vision statement reads:
“We see a future where independent natural food retailers are thriving at the heart of every community, strengthening their local economies, and committed to making healthy, sustainable food accessible to all.”
We envision making this a reality through purposeful growth. By 2028, INFRA will be comprised of member stores in 1,000 communities, recognized as a leader in the natural food industry, and act as a model for independent business success, with stores that consistently outperform the natural channel.
We will achieve this by:
-
Facilitating meaningful peer collaboration opportunities and delivering innovative and impactful resources & training for our member owners.
-
Leveraging our collective voice to improve and expand access to products, promotional offerings, and ancillary services.
-
Growing our membership and member businesses by embracing inclusive policies, initiatives, and tools designed to increase diversification of membership, products, and partners — there is room at our table!
The board and the INFRA team are energized by this bold statement. We’re excited to move forward and continue the good work we have been doing for the past 18 years. We believe in moving toward this vision, and that INFRA members, the natural food industry, and 1,000 communities will be better, healthier, and stronger for it.
The INFRA team is committed to this new vision, and to our unwavering mission — Strengthening our members through collaboration to forge a sustainable future.
Emily Kanter, Board of Directors Chair
Pat Sheridan, President and CEO
Learn more about INFRA's Mission & Vision.
#INFRANews
#IndustryNews
#INFRABlog
#Featured
#RealDeal