Sydney, AUSTRALIA, (November, 2025) – PepsiCo has celebrated the heroes behind the global food system during its inaugural Global Farmer Awards, held at the company’s headquarters in Purchase, New York. The event recognised nearly 60 farmers, farming families and advisors from 19 countries – including Australia and New Zealand – for their leadership in sustainability, innovation and agricultural resilience.
Among the honourees were Olivia Prouse from Pukekohe, New Zealand and Stephen Michelmore from South Australia, whose efforts exemplify the vital role farmers play in building a stronger, more resilient food system from the ground up. Both travelled to New York to accept their awards.
Recognising Excellence in ANZ
Representing New Zealand, Olivia Prouse was recognised in the Leadership & Advisory category as the winner of the Farmer Advisor Award. Olivia plays a pivotal role in mentoring growers within PepsiCo’s potato network, championing biological agronomy and biodiversity trials that have influenced 50% of growers to adopt integrated pest management practices, covering 65% of PepsiCo’s annual supply.
Representing Australia, Stephen Michelmore was honoured with the Positive Agriculture Award, driving sustainable farming practices and innovation across PepsiCo’s potato supply chain in Australia. Stephen’s work has resulted in a 42% agricultural yield improvement and 11% greenhouse gas reduction.
We are very proud to see both Olivia and Stephen recognised for their contributions to our business and represent Australia and New Zealand on the global stage. Their commitment to innovation and sustainable farming practices demonstrates what’s possible when strong leaders drive positive change,” said Alexia Horley, CEO of ANZ Foods, PepsiCo.
Driving Positive Agriculture
The Global Farmer Awards follow PepsiCo’s expanded goal to implement regenerative practices across 10 million acres by 2030, with more than 3.5 million acres already achieved globally.
PepsiCo continues to invest in farmer training, technology and collaborations that support soil health, biodiversity and watershed improvements. Locally, PepsiCo recently announced the acquisition of leading seed potato business Dowling AgriTech (DAT), marking a purposeful step in the businesses' long-term sustainable agronomy strategy and agriculture chain investment across ANZ.
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that
includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
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