Fresh on the heels of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference better known as COP27 and as countries fight over who should take responsibility for today’s polluted climate, there is one company making in food service with environmental protection ahead. on their agenda.
The Illinois-based equipment manufacturer, Anthony – a third-generation family-owned company is the first company to have a corporate manager of environmental health and safety. “We recognize that safety is very important to us and as the company grows we need someone to focus solely on safety and environmental sustainability within the factory,” explained Sarah Bullock, Antunes’ Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Executive Assistant.
Since 1955, Antunes has built a reputation as one of the highest quality manufacturers in the industry. The company’s portfolio includes industry-leading countertop cooking solutions. Its toasters, steamers, grills and water filtration have been staples of many of the country’s most popular restaurant chain brands for decades.
The third generation company was launched by Augie Antunes as an equipment organization. In his quest to help his customers find a solution, he designed and patented a pressure switch. That led to decades of designing and manufacturing solutions for the restaurant industry and food service professionals. That history has led to a focus on developing innovative commercial kitchen automation solutions. Antunes’ latest automation solutions include an automated drive-thru conveyor, automated bun toasting and automated chicken breading.
“Remember that our mission for automation, is to give you the flexibility to move your team without replacing it. Instead Antunes Automation is designed to move repetitive tasks from team members to equipment that allows them to work on other needs in the restaurant,” Bullock said. “It’s great to work with customers to increase throughput while maintaining quality.”
Bullock’s comments come on the heels of Antunes being presented recently with a prestigious community honor. Antunes received the Earth and Water Flag from SCARCE, a local, non-profit environmental education, for efforts to conserve resources, create a healthy environment and commitment to clean water. The award is given after a SCARCE provided assessment, passing a validation audit and achieving the training of more than 75% of the members of the Antunes group.
“I am especially proud to help Antunes work towards completing the credentials to be recognized by the SCARCE flags,” said Juan Ortiz, Antunes’ Corporate Manager of Environmental Health and Safety. “The flags reflect the positive impact Antunes has on our community and our world.”
For over 30 years SCARCE has been implementing change to promote a more sustainable future. Award-winning environmental education non-profit dedicated to creating sustainable communities. They do this through innovative and hands-on educational programs for schools and organizations, showing care for people and their natural resources through our Reuse Center, and participating to the wider public through community-wide activities and programs.
Antunes’ Corporate Social Responsibility is rooted in the desire to positively impact the world and build a sustainable great company. Some of Antunes’ sustainable initiatives include using 936 solar panels to power their Carol Stream location, diverting landfill waste through composting and recycling initiatives, sustainable packaging initiatives including the creation of the demand box for all products and the purchase of 50% Green Energy.
The impact of Antunes’ green and sustainable agenda can also be seen in equipment and supply dealer showrooms across the country. “We had a team member who suggested how we could reduce our footprint by customizing the boxes we use for our products. That’s when we actually bought a piece of equipment that creates boxes to eliminate the packaging waste. This year, we really took it a step further with a commitment suggested by another member of the Antunes team to eliminate another 5% of what we end up sending to landfills.
“I’m convinced that one of the things that drives our success is continuing to focus on what we do best,” Bullock said. “Our sweet spot is the QSR chains with 100 plus locations.”
Jane Bullock who serves as Chief Purpose Officer of Antunes said: “That’s what Antunes is all about. We are more than a catalog of products. Today’s restaurants, food service professionals and retailers and consultants which supports them looking for a manufacturing partner who can create a custom solution for their kitchen. We get that the chain in our industry is driven by the relationship between the operator’s rep and dealer. But in our case, we all work as a team to arrive at that unique solution.
“We’ve seen the challenges our customers are going through in finding staff as we emerge from the Pandemic,” Bullock continued. “They are really stressed out by having to do the grunt work that employees previously handled as well as the time and money required to retrain. We understand how important people are to operating the a successful restaurant. That’s why we appreciate the many families who work at Antunes. We have several people who have worked with us for 40 years and we are actually celebrating the 50th anniversary.
For more information on Antunes, email them directly or visit their website. Antunes’ latest solutions will be on display at the upcoming NAFEM Show scheduled for February 1-3, 2023 in Orlando. fl.
