ADM has strategically partnered with Ooni to develop a premium pizza flour while advancing ADM’s regenerative agriculture program. Launched in 2023, this initiative aims to collaborate with farmers and adopt “an outcome-based farming approach that protects and improves soil health, biodiversity and water resources while also supporting business development,” explained Ashley Fuller, ADM’s commercial director.
Regenerative Agriculture: A Sustainable Future for Farming
Facing increasing economic challenges, farmers can turn to regenerative agriculture as an environmentally friendly and financially sustainable solution. “Our programs are designed to support growers with the cost of the risk of implementing these actions on the ground,” introduced Allie Hesketh, ADM’s Climate Smart Ag UK country coordinator. She further stated, “We also know that in the UK, farm support is changing. Our UK program aims to dovetail into changing and evolving UK farm support, ensuring growers can draw down as much support as they need at this difficult time for UK farming.”
Moreover, ADM’s collaboration with Map of AG—a leading global data platform—has been crucial to the program’s success. “They provided some amazing data analysis that kept us ahead of the curve when launching our program,” Hesketh added. This program integrates advanced remote data collection systems, thorough validation processes, and robust verification practices to ensure high standards.
For farmers like William Bradley from J G Owen & Co, the regenerative agriculture program offers a pathway to embrace sustainable farming practices. “For me, it made complete sense because a lot of the stuff that’s in the scheme is stuff we’re already doing. Regenerative practices not only make financial sense for us, but also they’re good for the environment,” he explains.
Over the past five years, Bradley’s Yorkshire farm has seen reductions in carbon footprint, fuel costs, and labor, coupled with enhancements in soil health and livestock integration. “We’re increasing organic matter in the soil and integrating livestock into the system. It’s a really nice cyclical way of everything going back in, making significant improvements to our soil,” he continued. “It’s certainly tough times at the moment for farming, but schemes like this help us maximize every opportunity.”
OONI: Redefining Pizza with Purpose
Ooni, renowned for its pizza ovens, recognized a market gap for premium pizza ingredients and ventured into this space in 2021, transforming at-home pizza-making experiences.
The project “is the first of the licensing plan that we have now to partner with experts such as ADM.” Claire Grant, senior project manager for groceries at Ooni Pizza Ovens, explains: “It’s been a way to bring the product to match retail where we know customers are shopping for pizza ingredients—while contributing to our sustainable business plan.”
Despite not being a traditional pizza company, Ooni understands the significance of flour, which constitutes 57% of a pizza’s composition. “We have around 400,000 customers in the UK, and we know they’re making pizza once or twice every month,” Grant adds. “This is a small part of our business, but it presents a significant opportunity to create a product that delivers excellent pizzas while promoting a good purpose.”
In the past year, Ooni has committed to evolving into a regenerative business. For the company, this means generating profit while simultaneously creating value for people and the planet, rather than merely extracting value. “We started by identifying and articulating the outcomes that we want to see for the world and then walking backwards to identify what that means we have to do today. This partnership offers us a great opportunity to start implementing those goals,” she adds.
The collaboration has culminated in the creation of Ooni’s double zero flour, specifically designed for high-heat baking and longer fermentation—critical for achieving the perfect Neapolitan-style pizza.
With over two million ovens sold globally and more than 400,000 customers in the UK, Ooni aims to expand its offerings further. The company plans to introduce frozen pizza dough made exclusively from regenerative wheat into the UK market.
This partnership between ADM and Ooni not only enriches the home pizza experience but also sets a standard for how food companies can integrate sustainability into their product offerings.
