Diversity & Inclusion

Access for all

At Chobani, we champion diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging in every part of the company. Since day one, diversity and inclusion have been a foundational part of our ethos, our policies, and our guiding voice. And will continue to be as we move on the path forward.

Black Lives Matter

To the Black community: Your lives matter. Your voices matter. Your futures matter.

We built this company with an understanding that it’s our differences that make us stronger. We’ve been actively listening to our Black colleagues to see how Chobani can best live out our commitment to fighting for social justice.

Action over words has always been the Chobani way. Real change. Not just “checking the box.” We must stand up against human rights violations, anti-Black racism and racism in all its forms, while advancing policies, partnerships, and programs that embrace equality and justice—and promote opportunity.

“The Diversity & Inclusion Council at Chobani started with the idea that we work for a company that promotes inclusion and respect for all, and it’s important that we celebrate our diversity authentically, not just cosmetically. Thanks to D&I, Chobani employees experience a variety of cultures through film, music, dance, art, activism, and, of course, food. But there’s always more we can do, which is why we’re doubling down on our goals and growing this program.”

— Uche Okonkwo, Project Manager & Change Lead, IT, describes Chobani’s Diversity & Inclusion initiatives

Actions Toward Change

  • Transforming D&I Councils into Task Forces

    Our existing D&I Councils will become a Task Force at every Chobani location. They will lead internal engagement, education, and awareness around diversity and inclusion, informing tangible actions we are taking as a company to further equity through hiring, business operations, and advocacy.

  • Accountability

    We are holding not only our executive leadership team accountable, but also their direct reports, and their direct reports. D&I goals and objectives will be tied to the annual performance evaluations of all managers so that the spirit of D&I at Chobani permeates our entire company.

  • Funding

    We are making meaningful monetary investments in our D&I Recruiting Committee and expanding our diversity in hiring practices to bring more minority and female candidates to managerial roles at the company.

  • Disseminating Demographic Data

    Leadership will receive demographic data of their departments in an effort to set goals and move toward creating a workforce that reflects our core values and the communities we call home. This will, in turn, give leadership a better grasp of the demographic composition of their teams and show us where greater representation is possible.

  • Inaugural Internship

    We are establishing our first-ever, fully paid, company-wide internship program, dedicated to underrepresented groups, specifically young adults of color with a focus on Black youth.

  • Career Development

    As part of our ongoing work to help our employees grow in their careers, we're creating career development programs that help more underrepresented employees from our plants grow into managerial and leadership roles.

  • Awareness and Education

    We are expanding our company-wide Respect in the Workplace training to include awareness and education on anti-racism and unconscious bias, with the help of external experts.

  • Supply Chain for Change

    We’re expanding our Supplier Code of Conduct to ensure our suppliers, advisors, and other outside partners prioritize diversity as we do and are representative of the communities we serve and employ.

  • Employee Donation Match Program

    From May 25, 2020, through the end of June, our employee match program doubles monetary donations from our Chobani Family. To date, together, we have made donations to the Equal Justice Initiative, the King Center, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. We’ve also separately donated to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute and Building Beats.

Our Work Continues

While the path to a fairer, more just world is long and winding, we are committed to it. The journey is ours; step by step. Standing with one another to help carry the burdens, past and present. We are widening the path to doing what is right, always with humanity at the center.

Our Work So Far
Building on a Foundation of Diversity and Inclusion

Since day one, we’ve promoted diversity and inclusivity within our workforce because we know that our communities are stronger when people are given opportunities and access. Our vision is to have an employee base representative of the communities we live in and a culture of respect and recognition for our diverse employees at Chobani—fostering a spirit of inclusivity for all.

  • Equitable Pay

    At the end of 2019, we conducted a pay equity analysis to ensure that our employees in similar job levels are being paid fairly based on justifiable compensation factors—such as tenure and performance—and not on discriminatory factors, like gender and race. Across all levels, we have concluded employee gender and race do not affect pay. And we’re continuing to conduct pay equity analyses annually to protect this moving forward.

  • Hiring Refugees and Immigrants

    We welcome people from around the world, working with local refugee centers to support those who have come to the U.S. in search of safety and the opportunity of a better life. Chobani employees come from every conceivable background—at our plant in Upstate, New York, for instance, our employees include people from Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Nepal, resettled as refugees following often violent and difficult experiences in their home countries.

  • Diversity in Leadership

    As of 2019, 50% of Chobani’s Executive Leadership Team are women. Consistent with our ongoing commitment to D&I, ELT members will be evaluated on their commitment to the company’s D&I efforts as part of their annual review.

  • Chobani Gives

    Giving back to communities and people in need is one of our founding values. Through Chobani Gives, all Chobani employees are able to spend a full day of paid volunteer time with an organization of their choice every year, and we encourage them to support Black and minority advancement organizations with their time.

  • Chobani Incubator

    As a food company, we believe in doing our part to move the needle towards equity in the food and beverage industry. We’ve actively broadened our Incubator recruitment strategy to reach more female and minority business owners. What resulted was our most unique and dynamic cohort yet—75% of the Spring 2019 cohort were underrepresented minority founders and 63% were female founders or co-founders, representing a vast array of countries-of-origin, self-identified LGBTQ status, levels of education, and geographies. In Fall 2019, we also launched a dedicated incubator “boot camp” program for early-stage veteran-founded start-ups in partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

  • Best Workplaces for LGBTQ Equality

    For two years in a row, Chobani has received a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, and joined the list of companies being recognized for providing top-tier inclusive policies and benefits for LGBTQ employees, designating us as “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.”

  • Paid Parental Leave

    Since the very beginning, family has been integral to Chobani. We want our employees to be able to bond with the newest additions to their families and return to their jobs feeling confident and ready. Our paid parental leave policy provides our full-time employees with six weeks of 100% paid leave to bond with a new child following a birth, adoption, or foster care placement. We also offer an In Vitro Fertilization benefit covering up to three rounds per lifetime, in addition to coverage for fertility preservation.