Frontier Co-op Named to Inc.'s 2025 Best in Business List: Best Social Good Category
The annual list recognizes the industry-leading companies that are the best at what they do
NORWAY, Iowa, Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Frontier Co-op is proud to announce its inclusion on the Inc. Best in Business list in the Best Social Good category. Inc.'s annual Best in Business Awards celebrate the exceptional achievements and contributions of companies that have made a profound impact on their industries.
The recognition honors companies that, through exceptional execution, have achieved significant milestones and core business wins, like customer expansion, key product launches, increased market share, and industry-defining accomplishments. Companies from a wide range of industries – such as technology, health care, finance, and retail – have been recognized for their success and their positive influence on the business world.
Frontier Co-op was recognized for its five-year, $5 million Safe Processing in Cooperative Enterprise (SPICE) project, executed in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Cooperative Development Program (CDP). The project delivered lasting impact in three countries:
- Guatemala: Validated steam pasteurization process and established a biofabrication facility for organic pest and disease control to increase the value of their spices.
- Sri Lanka: Good Agricultural and Handling Practices trainings reached over 3,500 smallholders, improving crop yields and expanding access to global markets.
- Northern India: Frontier Co-op helped launch the region's first farmer-owned tea processing facility, providing primarily women farmers ownership in the enterprise and transforming economic opportunity across the community.
The full list can be found on Inc.com and in the upcoming winter print edition of Inc. magazine.
"Each Best in Business honoree achieved a breakthrough moment this year. Some unveiled groundbreaking innovations while others launched savvy marketing campaigns or strategically implemented AI in their companies," says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. "No matter what their business win looked like, their projects and initiatives had a sizable impact on their company and even on their industry at large, making them worthy of this honor."
Inc.'s Best in Business Awards are open to companies of all sizes and types, in all industries and locations. Public, private, nonprofit, subsidiary, U.S.-based, and international companies are all encouraged to apply. Inc. editors and reporters hand-review every application and select Best in Business honorees that, in each of the award categories, have had an outstanding influence on their communities, their industries, the environment, or society as a whole.
"We're deeply grateful to USAID's Cooperative Development Program and to the smallholder farmers in Guatemala, Sri Lanka and India whose partnership and resilience made this work possible," said Tony Bedard, CEO of Frontier Co-op. "Thanks to our collaboration, we've helped generate long-term value that can be reinvested into farming communities while strengthening our global supply chain."
For more information or to see the complete list, please visit inc.com/best-in-business.
About Frontier Co-op
Founded in 1976 and based in Norway, Iowa, Frontier Co-op is a 40,000 member-owned cooperative offering a full line of products for natural living under the Frontier Co-op, Simply Organic™ and Aura Cacia™ brands. Products include culinary herbs, spices and baking flavors; bulk herbs and spices; and aromatherapy products — with a wide selection of organics. Frontier Co-op's goal is to provide consumers with the highest-quality products while supporting and promoting social and environmental responsibility. For more information, visit the co-op's website at www.frontiercoop.com.
About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
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