Texas grocery giant H-E-B shows ProFILE how to partner with ag

Rooted in the community... Connected to quality... Feeding the future… 

These were among the themes shared with our ProFILE cohort as we met with the H-E-B Emergency Preparedness Team at their headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. 

Honoring tradition... An eye on innovation… 

Upon arrival we toured the visitors’ center, taking in displays of historical artifacts found on the campus and an interactive walk through the history of the successful grocery chain that operates more than 400 stores in Texas and Mexico. 

Continuing into the courtyard and through the 17-building campus, we found more history, innovation and community involvement — pillars familiar to and mirrored by Farm Bureau members across our state and nation.

H-E-B maintains several programs centered around community involvement and support. They fight food insecurity through Maximizing Food Recovery, a program that follows the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy model to put all food surplus and waste to use, prioritizing feeding people first.

The company’s mobile disaster relief efforts include dispatching mobile kitchens to feed communities in need. H-E-B is also known for funding conservation efforts to preserve Texas’ native pollinators, wildlife, trees and state park lands, alongside other non-profits sharing the company’s love and vision for the Lone Star State. 

While visiting an H-E-B market near the company’s headquarters, a security employee (or ‘partner,’ as they’re known) named Sal took a few minutes out of his day to give our group an impromptu look into what the H-E-B community is like. He shared the priority the company puts on sourcing local products, promoting from within and offering diverse avenues for its partners’ growth and development. 

Asked about sourcing, and how H-E-B handles potential supply chain interruptions, an Emergency Preparedness Team member named Damian emphasized the diversity of culture and products Texas is built upon. As a Texas-based company with stores on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border, H-E-B embraces the ability to raise many products close to home. 

The sheer size of its territory helps ensure these products are well known and well loved by their consumers. And the many options for quality, local products from reliable Texas producers helps stave off many potential logistical and supply-chain snags — including during the COVID pandemic.

Another tool in the toolbox that the Emergency Preparedness Team attributes to holding off product interruption is the company’s efforts to continually maintain and grow its connections with producers. 

So: If you ever find yourself at an H-E-B market, be sure to look for the ‘Made in Texas’ and ‘Go Texan’ labels. They indicate the company’s pride in supporting local agriculture and community — and it sure is inspiring.

Washtenaw County cattlewoman Erica Drake is among the 15 young Farm Bureau members in the 2024-25 ProFILE cohort.