The J.M. Smucker Company kept its core values alive by refining them

Company values should guide decisions and shape culture. If they’re too general or employees don’t know how to apply them, however, they’re unlikely to have much influence.

This is what The J. M. Smucker Company, the maker of Smucker’s fruit spreads, Jif peanut butter and Folgers coffee, had in mind when it updated its core principles a few years back.

As Frank Cirillo, Smucker’s director of corporate communications, put it: a company’s culture “falls flat if you don’t have employees who live it.”

In the 1980s, Smucker articulated its company values — or what it calls its Basic Beliefs — as follows:

• Quality
• People
• Ethics
• Growth
• Independence

In 2022, the company evolved these Basic Beliefs:

• Be Bold
• Be Kind
• Do The Right Thing
• Play To Win
• Thrive Together

Cirillo described the change as a shift from broader concepts to more action-oriented phrases that resonate with employees and guide their day-to-day duties.

He noted it was important for the company to overcommunicate why this refresh was happening and what it meant for its employees. It did so by hosting a launch event and providing employees with additional resources that explained the changes in greater detail.

“The internal communications team did a phenomenal job of making it a significant deal,” said Cirillo.

In a video reflecting on the company’s 125^th anniversary, Chief Executive Officer Mark Smucker explained that the organization sought to make its updated Basic Beliefs as clear and concise as possible.

“Together, with our purpose and our commitment to each other, these evolved Basic Beliefs help paint a clearer picture of the remarkable culture we want to maintain long-term,” said Smucker, who is the great-great-grandson of founder Jerome Monroe Smucker, in the five-minute clip.

Putting values into practice

To remain vibrant, company values must also remain part of the conversation. Even the best-worded ones won’t do much good if the only time an employee encounters them is in a handbook during the onboarding process.

“If you have values — if you have something like this that’s articulated in such a specific way — and you put it on the shelf, that’s where it stays,” said Cirillo. “Nothing ever happens.”

To avoid this fate, Smucker has aimed to make its Basic Beliefs a constant presence.

Screens in factories show news updates, such as when Smucker’s Uncrustables sandwich brand surpassed $1 billion in annual sales. Rather than just share the news, however, the company will attach a Basic Belief, such as Be Bold, to the item, linking business success with a core principle.

The Basic Beliefs also appear on signs placed around Smucker’s corporate headquarters in Ohio. They show up on the company’s intranet, The Neighborhood. Company leaders mention them during town hall meetings.

“When we have business wins or awards, recognitions, we reflect on the Basic Beliefs and how they came to life through this effort,” said Cirillo.

The Basic Beliefs might also appear in public-facing documents. The company’s 2025 corporate impact report, for instance, highlights its Thrive Together principle. “While a simple concept, the spirit behind it reflects a powerful commitment that has been a core value of our Company since our founding — that we are in business to help support all those who count on us,” reads a line from the report.

Cirillo credited Smucker’s willingness to adapt to new opportunities and challenges, while remaining committed to its Basic Beliefs, as playing a big part in the company’s longevity.

As he put it: “While almost every aspect of our business has changed over nearly 130 years, our values have not.”