Who we are
Our Culture
Brown-Forman’s brand of culture is a direct reflection of the company’s identity and image, and our deeply held traditional core values of integrity, respect, trust, teamwork, and excellence. You’ll notice our culture clearly emerging in the way we treat our employees, shareholders, customers, and communities.
We believe that the collective wisdom of all employees is far superior to the individual intellect of any one person. The result is a collegial company where employees depend on each other to be successful. We focus on teamwork, a hallmark of our corporate culture that extends beyond our own employees to our suppliers, trade partners, and other stakeholders around the world.
We expect our employees to be honest with themselves and with one another. As part of this emphasis, we actively promote an atmosphere where feedback is encouraged and commonplace.
Brand building and culture are indelibly linked at Brown-Forman. By embedding a unique corporate aesthetic within our culture, we speak to Brown-Forman’s enduring values and relevance — creating and cultivating a greater cohesive presence for the company and its consumer brands.
Professional Development
At Brown-Forman, we focus on developing the people who build our brands. We begin by recruiting and hiring people of the highest quality and character and then help these talented people grow through formalized professional development programs. Less formal training, such as peer-to-peer coaching and our mentoring program, reinforces our guiding philosophy to constantly encourage and enable our employees to grow, learn, and realize their full potential.
Diversity and Inclusion
We believe having a diverse workforce honors the wealth of unique experiences that each of us brings to work and respects our differences as people. Inclusion unleashes the power of diversity by creating a culture that empowers all employees to fully express themselves and feel comfortable being who they are while contributing their talents to the business. By promoting diversity, educating our workforce, and creating a culture of inclusion, we continue to develop the people who build our brands.
Community Relations
Brown-Forman and its employees believe in actively contributing time, energy and resources to improving our communities. Read more about our community involvement and employee volunteerism in the Corporate Responsibility section of this website.
Vision
At Brown-Forman, we enrich the experience of life, in our own way, by responsibly building beverage alcohol brands that thrive and endure for generations.
Our vision is to build forever starting with our ten-year strategy, B-F 150, which directs our efforts toward 2020, the year of our company’s 150th anniversary.
By expertly combining five behaviors (Be Curious, Be Courageous, Be Collaborative, Be Creative, Be a Champion) with our vision and purpose, we seek to create an enduring and growing Brown-Forman with top-tier growth, returns, and total shareholder return.
Values
Our past is defined by generations of visionary individuals and decades of progress. Our future will be determined by continuity in our direction, commitment to our strategies, and confidence in our capabilities.
Over many years, Brown-Forman has developed and nurtured a set of core values that has become deeply ingrained in our consciousness and our culture. These time-honored values — integrity, respect, trust, teamwork, and excellence — remain real and relevant today, guiding us in the conduct of our day-to-day business.
