There’s no single formula — the throughline is a way of working that gives each client’s values, culture, and community room to show up in meaningful ways. Whether bespoke coffee roasting or honey from on-site bee hives, custom programs look different across the accounts we serve, because they should.
Built From the Bean Up
At most accounts we serve, coffee is a given. At a major technology company in Foster City, CA, the team set out to build a comprehensive program beyond placing an order for beans and grounds.
“This was never about adding another coffee station,” says Kirk Rauschhuber Moore, director of operations. “The client wanted a program that felt like their own, and that pushed us to think differently about everything from sourcing green coffee to how we roast, store and serve it on-site.”
Investing in Bellwether roasting equipment was the first step. Bellwether is an all-electric, ventless commercial roaster designed to make in-house roasting possible without the gas lines, ventilation or construction a traditional setup often requires. Its software also allows teams to build and refine custom roast profiles, which made it a strong fit for a team looking for more control. The team started asking bigger questions about sourcing and flavor, leading them to work with Farm to Fork partner Progeny Coffee to source single-origin green coffee beans exclusively for the account.
From ideation to the first cup sold, the project took more than a year to realize and required client collaboration to figure out the storage requirements for bulk green coffee beans.
The client had wanted a comprehensive coffee program for years, even prior to selecting Bon Appétit as their partner, and saw the value in building something in-house that reflected the company’s culture. Now, coffee is part of the identity of the account, with more sustainability upside thanks to less packaging and room to grow. At roughly 2,000 pounds of coffee per month, this is an expression of what customization can look like when collaborating with our clients.
A Signature Born From Sourcing
Some Farm to Fork relationships begin at a farmers market. This one began with a detour. While doing research in California’s wine country, Joe DeBono, forager and executive chef at a major technology company stumbled into Journeyman Meat Co. in Healdsburg, where a conversation with producer Pete Seghesio led to a tour of his family ranch. This chance encounter became something much more meaningful: the kind of relationship Bon Appétit loves to nurture through trust and a commitment to helping small artisans grow.
“We are always looking for artisans whose products reflect the same care and intention we want our guests to experience,” said DeBono. “Sometimes that means finding a great item to bring in. Sometimes, if the relationship is right, it grows into creating something together that could not exist anywhere else.”
At first, the collaboration centered on charcuterie and products with broad application. But for the 25th anniversary of one of the company’s products in 2024, the team worked with the client, an accomplished chef himself, to develop GPU sausage, built around Gruyere, pimenton and urfa biber, a trio of ingredients that gave the product both its flavor profile and its name. The response was immediate, and the idea proved too good to retire after a single event.
Now produced in limited 250-pound batches and reserved largely for catering and special pop-ups, the sausage has become a delicious example of what can happen when Bon Appétit’s sourcing values lead the way.
Letting the Land Take the Lead
At Target’s campus in Minneapolis, MN, one of the most distinctive parts of the food program exists outside the walls of the café. The 330-acre property includes restored native prairie and, for about a decade, a partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Bee Squad has been abuzz with 25 beehives. Bon Appétit’s role is to turn the project into something guests can engage with directly, i.e., honey.
Each fall, the honey harvest becomes an event. Team members and their children can watch raw honey spun from the frames by an extractor. Bon Appétit complements the experience with tastings and honey-forward desserts such as scaliddi and struffoli, then packages and labels every jar of honey harvested on-site. Some jars are sold on campus, while others become seasonal gifts for leadership. The numbers alone are impressive, with annual harvests ranging from 800 to 960 pounds in recent years.
But what gives the program staying power is the way it connects land stewardship, education, hospitality, and food. Guests get to see and taste sustainability in action, making an unforgettable program that belongs to the Target campus and landscape.
“People can experience the story from start to finish,” says Salvatore Rosa, resident district manager. “They see the hives, learn about the role pollinators play in the surrounding prairie, and then taste the honey in ways that make that connection feel real.”
Honoring Tradition and Pouring It Forward
When Bon Appétit began serving Iowa’s Luther College in June 2025, one of the priorities was clear: preserve the campus traditions that already meant something to the client and find ways to support them well. Among the most distinctive was Luther’s long-standing relationship with local, alumni-connected Pulpit Rock Brewing Co., which uses ingredients prepared on campus for select beers.
That has meant sourcing support, storing and roasting adjuncts (ingredients such as fruit, grains, or nuts added during brewing to build flavor and texture), and most notably incorporating Luther’s house-made granola into select beers including Alma Matter, Luther College’s exclusive branded beer.
“It was important to us that the college saw continuity, not disruption, in something they cared about,” says Nic Supercynski, general manager. “There were real integration hurdles to work through on purchasing, billing and process, but our team stayed focused on making the partnership work and setting it up for what comes next.”
Today, the collaboration continues through special releases, pop-ups and pairings that bring together campus pride, alumni ties and the creativity of both partners. It is a reminder that supporting a client well does not always mean starting from scratch. Sometimes it means recognizing a great tradition, honoring it in the transition and helping create room for future growth.
