Woman Owned Business Partnerships Power Service and Hospitality

When it comes to supplying culturally authentic products, driving supply chain innovation, and accelerating Aramark’s local economic impact, there is arguably no force more powerful than women owned and other diverse owned businesses.

To harness that power, Aramark is committed to working with small businesses and businesses owned and operated by women, minorities, and other diverse populations.

“Our supplier network reflects nearly 5,000 small and diverse suppliers as of fiscal year 2023,” said Natily Santos, Vice President of Responsible Sourcing, Aramark. “Our goal is to source 25% of our spend in the U.S. through small and diverse suppliers by 2025—and our partnerships with businesses owned by women play a major role in helping us achieve that goal.”

In 2023, Aramark spent more than $203 million with women owned businesses, the majority of which are certified women business enterprises (WBEs). Nearly 60% of the diverse suppliers Aramark works with in the U.S. are certified by a third-party supplier diversity agency.

Super-Charging the Partnerships

Aramark prioritizes supplier certification to ensure small and diverse suppliers are aware of the resources available to them. Aramark also helps diverse suppliers become certified through partner Certify My Company, a certified women owned business and disabled owned business enterprise, as well as encouraging them to take advantage of other mentoring and training resources.

Win Win Coffee

“Participating in the Centers of Excellence program was extremely transformative for us,” said Nikisha Bailey, Co-Founder, Win Win Coffee. “Through this partnership, we've strengthened our supply chain capabilities and gained invaluable skills and best practices necessary for growth as we continue to scale and seek out large contracts.”

Win Win Coffee was invited to participate in a Vendor Expo held during the Aramark LEAD Summit in February (photo at top).

“Aramark's commitment to fostering opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses like ours to thrive is an example of what intentional impact actually looks like from large organizations within local communities,” Bailey said.

 

Truly Good Foods

One of the largest WBE partnerships for Aramark in 2023 was with snack manufacturer and distributor Truly Good Foods. The supplier, whose mission is “to be NUTS about snacking,” roasts and ships nuts, seeds and more than 60 bulk snack mixes to customers nationwide.

“We have a long-standing supplier relationship with Aramark and really enjoy working with everyone there,” said Angela Bauer, Owner/President and CEO. “Through our large variety of specialty products and unique service model, we’re proud of the partnership we have built and are looking forward to future successes with Aramark.”   

Based in Charlotte, NC, Truly Good Foods operates sales and distribution offices in Reno, Orlando, Atlanta, Washington, DC, and Dallas. 

 

City Wide Jani

An accredited WBE and MBE, City Wide Jani Inc. is a commercial cleaning company based in Chicago, IL, and serving the surrounding Chicagoland area. Leaders from City Wide Jani participated in the Aramark-sponsored cohort of the Chicago Minority Supplier Diversity Council (MSDC) PIPE Program², which provides participants with mentorship and other professional and business development opportunities. 

“The [PIPE] Program proved to be exceedingly beneficial for my business,” said Calenthia Torrence-Harper, Founder and CEO. ”Deep-diving into my company forced me to think outside of the box, research industry changes, and immediately implement learned skills which are still used today.”

Immediately following the completion of the PIPE Program in 2022, City Wide Jani was invited to become an Aramark vendor.

"Our collaboration with Aramark has afforded us the ability to expand operations with reduced overhead costs, implement effective risk mitigation, and access resources such as training and equipment,” said Torrence-Harper. “This strategic partnership has been pivotal in achieving a remarkable 42 percent increase in our revenue, with continued growth on the horizon.”