From fragmented management to a more structured, efficient strategy aligned with the market’s ESG requirements
Context
Emicela is a multinational company of Canary Islands origin specialising in the production and distribution of food products, beverages and solutions for the hotel and restaurant sector. Over more than six decades, the company has evolved from its beginnings as a coffee roaster to
become a strategic supplier to the HoReCa channel, operating in more than 50 countries and with its own presence in Spain, Cape Verde, Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
Its offering combines in-house production, end-to-end distribution and an increasingly sustainability-focused approach, understood as a fundamental part of its growth and its relationship with its
customers.
“Sustainability is now a strategic pillar at Emicela and is part of how we understand long-term growth.” Carlota Arencibia – Sustainability Manager
The challenge: meeting multiple requirements without a common structure
Before joining Achilles, Emicela faced a challenge that is increasingly common among large suppliers in the hospitality sector: managing multiple ESG and compliance information requests, each with different formats, criteria and requirements.
Major hotel chains requested sustainability information on an ongoing basis, but without a common framework. This required documentation to be collected, adapted and reviewed repeatedly, consuming internal time and resources.
“The lack of centralisation and a common framework created duplication and meant management was more manual and less agile than desired.”
In addition to the operational impact, this situation made it difficult to provide fast, consistent and easily traceable responses to customers and audits, even when there was already strong sustainability work in place internally.
The turning point: professionalising ESG management
Emicela’s international growth and rising sector requirements led the company to seek a solution that would enable it to better structure all information related to sustainability and compliance.
The need was no longer only to respond to questionnaires, but to have a tool that would help centralise information, improve traceability and communicate more clearly the work the company had been doing for years.
“We wanted to be able to communicate clearly and in a structured way all the work we had already been doing in this area.”
The solution: more organised and efficient management with Achilles
Joining Achilles enabled Emicela to centralise its ESG information and turn it into a structured, up-to-date profile aligned with standards recognised by the market.
Beyond the external impact, the change was also significant internally. The company improved coordination between departments, reduced document fragmentation and gained a much clearer view of the information available.
“It has not only enabled us to centralise all our information for customers, but it has also brought about an important change internally.”
The platform also helped identify areas for improvement and define a clearer roadmap to continue advancing in sustainability.
Impact: greater efficiency, greater credibility and stronger positioning
One of the main benefits for Emicela has been the time saved in managing questionnaires and information requests, thanks to the elimination of duplication and the ability to reuse centralised, structured information.
In addition, the company has been able to convey a stronger and more transparent image to its customers.
“Having a structured assessment and an objective score provides greater visibility of our progress in sustainability.”
In parallel, Emicela has significantly strengthened its positioning as a responsible supplier within the hospitality sector. Achilles’ external assessment, together with the evolution of its results, has served as an objective validation of its ESG commitment.
The company currently has a sustainability score of 71 and a Hospitality Scoring score of 81.41.
“On several occasions, we have received direct recognition, positioning us as a benchmark supplier within their supply chain.”
Looking ahead
Over the coming years, Emicela will continue to advance the integration of sustainability into its overall business strategy. Its goals include continuing to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and develop more sustainable solutions for its customers.
The company also plans to strengthen the integration of ESG criteria across its organisation and continue to consolidate its position as a strategic and responsible supplier within the international HoReCa sector.
“Achilles will continue to be a key tool in our development as suppliers, especially in an environment where transparency, traceability and ESG criteria are increasingly relevant for major buyers.”
