This week, PepsiCo celebrated the heroes behind the food system with the launch of its first-ever Global Farmer Awards, honoring outstanding farmers, farming families and advisors from across its global supply chain. Held at PepsiCo's headquarters in Purchase, N.Y., the celebration brought together nearly 60 farmers and advisors from 19 countries to recognize their achievements in sustainability, innovation and leadership in agriculture.

As one of the world's leading food and beverage companies, PepsiCo's business is rooted in agriculture—sourcing more than 50 crops and ingredients from over 60 countries. The Global Farmer Awards mark a bold step in advancing the company's leadership on regenerative agriculture and elevating the role of farmers as key players in delivering on the company's pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) agenda – PepsiCo's end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of its business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where it operates.

"Our business starts with farmers. They are the heartbeat of our supply chain and the foundation of the global food system," said Ramon Laguarta, chairman and chief executive officer, PepsiCo. "These awards are about celebrating their contributions, highlighting the innovations they're pioneering and reinforcing our shared ambition to help build a more resilient, more sustainable, more inclusive agricultural system."

Finalists were selected across six award categories: Sustainability, Next-Gen Farming, Leadership & Advisory, Heritage & Growth, Quality, and Farmer of the Year – with a balanced representation of small and large-scale farmers, multigenerational families, and advisors across key global regions including North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The 2025 Farmer of the Year was awarded to Chris and Harold Perry of The Perry Family Farm in Alberta, Canada, a fourth-generation farm and regional leader in regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and productivity that has been growing potatoes for Lay's for over 45 years.

The Global Farmer Awards come just months after PepsiCo expanded its pep+ Positive Agriculture goal, aiming to drive regenerative agriculture, restorative and protective practices across 10 million acres by 2030, having already delivered more than 3.5 million acres globally as of 2024. PepsiCo continues to invest in farmer training, technology and collaborations that aim to support soil health, biodiversity and watershed improvements across its supply chain.

Recent examples include the development and launch of the Climate Resilience Platform, an award-winning digital tool that aims to support farmers with insights into climate conditions, potential impacts to yields and more essential climate information. Another is STEP Up for Agriculture, a pre-competitive initiative developed in collaboration with Unilever and leading retailers to help strengthen the capacity and sustainability of farmer-facing support organizations by providing tools, training, and funding to accelerate the adoption of regenerative practices and build resilient supply chains.

"With soil increasingly degraded and extreme weather events happening much more frequently, the global food system and the world's ability to feed a growing population is under threat," said Jim Andrew, chief sustainability officer, PepsiCo. "Accelerating the adoption of regenerative farming practices is a critical part of making the global food system more resilient.  Farmers need to be at the center of this transition—they are on the front lines and key to implementing solutions on the ground and around the world. Launching the Global Farmer Awards creates another platform to show farmers how important they are to us, elevate their stories, inspire collaboration and spotlight regenerative agriculture solutions that can scale and help strengthen the global food system."

The awards ceremony was the centerpiece of a broader three-day agenda celebrating farmers, which included plenary sessions, a Taste & Tell Expo showcasing the "crop to product" journey and cultural immersion activities in New York City. Farmers also participated in panels with PepsiCo executives and shared on-the-ground regenerative practices, reinforcing the company's belief that farmers are an important part of food system transformation.

"This event is more than an award: it's a way to show how much we value the farmers we work with," said Marcelo Stefani, global chief procurement officer, PepsiCo. "By honoring these agricultural leaders, we are reinforcing our support for the people who grow our food and are championing the innovation needed to feed a growing population in a changing climate."