Where Food Comes From, Inc. (WFCF) announced a partnership with Pangea, Prime Pursuits and Walmart to launch CARE Certified sustainable leather for automotive interiors. The collaboration will apply WFCF’s CARE Certified program—originally designed for animal care, environmental stewardship and community impact—to the leather supply chain, ensuring that hides sourced from American ranches meet strict sustainability standards before reaching vehicle manufacturers.
The deal marks a significant strategic shift for WFCF, moving the company from a food‑verification niche into a high‑margin, high‑visibility consumer goods market. By certifying leather for automotive use, WFCF opens a new revenue stream that complements its existing verification and certification services. The partnership also positions the company to capture growing demand for traceable, ethically sourced materials in the automotive industry, where manufacturers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate sustainability to consumers.
WFCF’s Q3 2025 financial results provide context for the partnership’s potential impact. Revenue for the quarter was $7.0 million, a slight decline from $7.1 million in Q3 2024, but net income rose to $1.1 million from $0.492 million, largely due to a $946,000 gain on the sale of its Progressive Beef interest. The partnership is expected to contribute to future revenue growth and improve margin profile by leveraging WFCF’s established certification platform in a new, higher‑margin segment.
Pangea, a global leather supplier, has already achieved Leather Working Group Gold certification across its manufacturing sites and has a track record of supplying sustainable leather to major automotive brands. Walmart’s involvement through its Prime Pursuits program underscores the retailer’s commitment to supply‑chain transparency and sustainability, ensuring that hides—byproducts of the beef industry—are utilized rather than discarded. Together, the partners aim to provide automotive manufacturers with a fully traceable, sustainably sourced leather option that meets consumer expectations for environmental responsibility.
John Saunders, WFCF CEO, said the partnership “transforms a byproduct into a meaningful product, giving beef producers a new revenue stream while delivering a traceable, sustainable material to automotive customers.” Bob Tuuk, Pangea’s Vice President of Global Purchasing, added that the initiative “addresses consumer demand for transparency and confidence in the origin and environmental impact of materials used in vehicles.”
The collaboration is expected to strengthen WFCF’s competitive position, diversify its revenue base, and signal its readiness to scale its certification technology into new industries. While the automotive sector presents headwinds such as price sensitivity and intense competition, the partnership’s focus on sustainability and traceability aligns with long‑term market trends, positioning WFCF to capture a growing share of the eco‑friendly automotive materials market.
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