Frito-Lay has had a long commitment to Supplier Diversity. Since the 1960s Frito-Lay pioneers such as Harvey Russell, Don Kendall and Jim O’Neal believed early on that diversity and inclusion provide a competitive advantage that drives business results. They understood that developing partnerships with minority-owned and women-owned suppliers would help build the world-class supplier base the company needed.
In 1983, Frito-Lay formally launched its Supplier Diversity program with the intent of sourcing diverse suppliers who could provide our company with high quality goods and services at competitive prices. Today our program is 20 years strong and during that time we have spent over $2.1 billion with minority and women-owned entrepreneurs (M/WBEs). We are proud to say that we utilize M/WBEs in virtually all areas of our company. We also take pride in developing M/WBEs to be successful not only within our company but with other divisions of PepsiCo. Our Supplier Diversity program has also allowed our company to be proactive in the economic development of our communities. We are proud of our successful experiences in supplier diversity and treasure the many minority and women-owned companies that bring value-added and measurable performance to our business environment. Frito-Lay’s comprehensive strategy for integrating these businesses into the supplier development process supports our supply chain efficiency and effectiveness, as well as the company’s bottomline. It's a vital part of our day-to-day business.