Responsible Manufacturer Benchmark - The Morning Star dba Lucero Farms

By CommonShare

The Morning Star Company, also known as Lucero Farms, LLC, is a leading tomato processing and packing company with a rich history dating back to its inception in 1970 by Chris Rufer. Originally starting as a one-truck owner-operator company in California's Central Valley, Morning Star has grown to operate three state-of-the-art factories with the largest production scale in the world dedicated solely to tomatoes. With a focus on providing superior customer value, Morning Star supplies over 40 percent of national markets with ingredient tomato paste and diced tomatoes, serving a wide range of customers in the food manufacturing, food service, and retail trade industries.

Morning Star's key differentiators lie in its commitment to innovation and scale, as well as its dedication to producing high-quality tomato products in an environmentally responsible manner. The company has been actively involved in the global tomato industry and ongoing tomato research, pioneering changes in production technology that have increased efficiencies throughout the industry. With annual sales exceeding $800 million, Morning Star continues to color the world red one tomato at a time, solidifying its position as a major player in the tomato processing industry.

Driven by a mission to consistently meet the quality and service expectations of its customers, Morning Star operates three processing facilities strategically located in the heart of California's tomato country, processing tomatoes from the entire Central Valley region. The company's organizational structure, termed Mission Focused Self-Management, emphasizes colleague-driven activities and coordination with a customer-focused approach based on Human Respect. As Morning Star looks towards the future, its continued focus on innovation, quality, and customer service will guide its strategic direction to maintain its position as a leader in the tomato processing industry.

Overall Rating

1.0

Under-Performing

Traceability

An increasingly important factor in global supply chains, traceability assesses the manufacturer's capability to track products and materials from origin to delivery. The Sustainable Manufacturers Benchmark® explores this through the lens of tiered supplier verification, culminating in end-to-end traceability with real-time monitoring and complete transparency.

Digitized Products

The digital landscape has transformed B2B interactions. This facet assesses the extent to which manufacturers have digitized their product offerings. The spectrum ranges from manufacturers without any online product catalog to those boasting advanced B2B e-commerce platforms, providing clients with order customization, real-time tracking, and an integrated view of the supply chain.

Preferred Materials

This aspect gauges the extent to which manufacturers incorporate sustainable, circular, and regenerative materials in their supply chain. It assesses whether companies merely use standard materials or whether they actively prioritize sustainable and preferred materials in their product range, even going so far as to offer digital verification of material certificates.

Facility Verification and Services

This dimension evaluates the openness and commitment of manufacturers regarding their facility's conditions and services. It covers a spectrum, from providing no facility details at all to showcasing comprehensive third-party audits, ensuring transparency in worker welfare and showcasing a clear commitment to maintaining top-tier facility services.

Readiness to Contract

Before entering a partnership, it's pivotal to understand a manufacturer's business legitimacy. The Sustainable Manufacturers Benchmark® checks for the presence and verification of essential documents, ranging from basic business licenses to comprehensive documentation, client testimonials, and even third-party attestations that verify a manufacturer's reliability and readiness to contract.

The Morning Star dba Lucero Farms

United States

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How our Responsible Manufacturer Benchmark® Works?

By CommonShare

The Responsible Manufacturer Benchmark is a comprehensive framework designed to evaluate and rate manufacturers based on their commitment to sustainability, digital integration, readiness for contracting, material sourcing, and facility standards. It provides a clear, standardized metric for assessing manufacturers in a B2B environment, helping businesses make informed decisions aligned with their sustainability objectives. The benchmark covers crucial areas like end-to-end traceability, the digital verification of supply tiers, utilization of preferred materials, and verified social audits for facilities. By incorporating both depth and granularity across its criteria, the benchmark not only promotes transparency but also encourages continuous improvement in responsible manufacturing practices.