<p>Alison Cox can stand the heat. Twice a week, she teaches a power yoga class in a room heated to almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit. She can handle metaphorical heat, too, using breathing techniques from her yoga practice to steady herself during high-stress situations.</p>
<p>She’s had seven years to acclimate to the extreme temperatures. This month marks Cox’s seventh anniversary as a yoga instructor, and for five of those years, she’s also managed social media and analyzed online conversations for Yum! Brands in Louisville, Kentucky. But long before she learned to balance a full-time career with teaching yoga on nights and weekends, she had to learn to balance on a mat.</p>
<p>“I’ve never been an athlete,” Cox said, admitting that she first started going to the gym simply to get out of her parents’ house after graduating from college.</p>
<p>She tried a few group exercise classes and kept coming back for the community, but yoga was different.</p>
<p>“I really love the flexibility of it,” she said. “You’re able to make your yoga practice what you want it to be. You can lay on your mat for 60 minutes, or you can make it as hard as you want it to be. Both are yoga.”</p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/f2447484-3374-4024-9070-6db2ddba455c/1/Alison+Yoga.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="620" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>After a year of practicing at her local gym, Cox transitioned to <a href="https://www.502poweryoga.com/" >502 Power Yoga Studio</a> to try hot yoga and quickly became a regular. Eventually, showing up for class wasn’t enough. She wanted to teach it.</p>
<p>Cox completed more than 200 hours of training and earned her teaching certification in spring 2019. Seven years later, she’s mastered challenging poses like crow, balancing her body weight on her hands with her knees resting on her upper arms. But ask her for a favorite pose, and she’ll choose something much simpler: child’s pose, which she loves for the stretch it provides her back.</p>
<p>That preference reflects something Cox appreciates about yoga more broadly. There’s always room to push yourself, but there’s also permission to slow down.</p>
<p>“Sharing yoga with others is something I really love,” she said. “That's why I became a teacher, because I want more people to do this. Our studio has a great community; we’re really close-knit, so it's like having a second family.”</p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/f2447484-3374-4024-9070-6db2ddba455c/2/Alison+yoga2.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="520" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>Still, her two worlds occasionally overlap. Cox sometimes invites her Yum! coworkers to her classes, intentionally bringing the communities together, and Yum! once invited her to lead a meditation class for above-restaurant employees.</p>
<p>More often, though, it’s the lessons from yoga that follow Cox into her workday.</p>
<p>“There are so many different types of breathing that you can do,” she said. “Like when you're in a tough meeting or if you're having just a rough day, you're able to tap into your breath.”</p>
<p>One technique Cox uses is Ujjayi breathing, also known as Victorious Breath, a practice that involves slow, controlled breathing through the nose. For Cox, it’s a tool she can turn to whether she’s in the studio, sitting at her computer or navigating a stressful moment.</p>
<p>“That's one thing I like to encourage people to do at work, outside of work, everywhere really,” Cox said. “You have your breath, just use that. Any time I'm feeling frustrated, stressed or just need a break, I just step away from my computer and breathe.”</p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/f2447484-3374-4024-9070-6db2ddba455c/3/162202643_10226026697399248_3613490753153318002_n+%281%29.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="520" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>That ability to remain mindful serves Cox well on Yum!’s Proactive Storytelling team. But there’s another lesson from yoga that carries into her day job: discipline. Ironically, Cox says that’s also the part she finds most difficult.</p>
<p>“The hardest part of yoga is just showing up and rolling out your mat,” she said. “Getting to the studio after you’ve had a long day or first thing in the morning, it’s hard. It takes commitment. The benefits are great, but I think the hardest part is just getting started.”</p>
<p>Cox has certainly done her share of showing up. She recently taught her 700th class at 502 Power Yoga, a milestone that comes just ahead of her seventh anniversary as an instructor and one that makes her smile.</p>
<p>“I feel accomplished after I step off of my mat,” she said. “Whether I lay on my mat for 60 minutes or go into a hot, sweaty class for an hour and work my butt off, I get a great feeling of accomplishment.”</p>
<p>But for Cox, the real value of yoga may be what happens after she steps off the mat.</p>
<p>“Yoga gives you tools to use in between classes,” she said. “When you go into your workday or your family life, you're breathing and meditating — that's all stuff that you can incorporate into your day-to-day life.”</p>
<p>Which may explain why, after 700 classes, Cox still doesn’t consider yoga a side hustle. The class may end when she walks out of that 100-degree room, but the practice follows her everywhere — especially when the heat is on.</p>
<p>When people hear the words "sustainable palm oil," they often think about rainforests, wildlife and the climate. Those issues are important, and they were certainly on my mind as I joined Yum’s global oils category lead and traveled to Ecuador with the global nonprofit environmental organization Conservation International, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and other industry partners to visit a supplier, palm oil farms, and producers.</p>
<p>But there’s another factor in making palm oil sustainable, and it’s one that’s central to Yum! Brands’ culture: people. After spending time with farmers, suppliers and local partners, I was fully reminded that sustainability isn't just about protecting forests. It's also about the people growing our food, the partnerships that further responsible sourcing efforts and the choices we make today to build a stronger supply chain for the future.</p>
<p>Responsible sourcing has been a priority at Yum! for years. Through our work on commodities like palm oil and soy, we help further the protection of forests, respect for human rights and a better understanding of where our ingredients come from, helping to ensure we have resilient supply chains needed to support our restaurants and business in the long term.</p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/fe36a273-8521-4ec9-bae3-01ff91e80add/1/Dia1_RSPO_EB-27.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="480" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>In late 2025, Yum! and KFC launched a collaboration with Conservation International to strengthen agricultural supply chains for palm oil and soy in Ecuador and Brazil. In critical places like the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado grasslands, we are supporting farming communities and helping protect the landscapes they depend on. Visiting Ecuador gave me the opportunity to see what that work looks like on the ground.</p>
<p><b>How palm oil is produced sustainably</b></p>
<p>One of the highlights of the trip was visiting a RSPO-certified palm farm and processing mill. Walking through the farm and seeing the mill in action gave me greater appreciation for everything that happens before an ingredient like palm oil ever reaches one of our restaurants.</p>
<p>Palm oil is one of the world's most widely used cooking oils because it's incredibly efficient, producing more oil on less land than crops like soy, canola or sunflower. Plus, oil palm trees produce fruit three to four years after planting and can remain productive for 30 years. But like many agricultural products, how it's produced matters. Poorly managed production can contribute to deforestation and biodiversity loss, making responsible farming practices essential.</p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/fe36a273-8521-4ec9-bae3-01ff91e80add/2/Dia3_RSPO_EB-25.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="480" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>What stood out to me about this particular Ecuadorian farm was its people and processes. Workers hand-harvest ripe fresh fruit bunches with sickle-shaped blades to handpick the fruit from trees. They’d cut down heavy fruit bunches weighing as much as 50 lbs.! The fruit was then transported to a mill within 24 hours to ensure the quality of the oil. Once in the mill, the fruit was steam sterilized to stop enzymes from degrading the oil and then machinery took over from there – stripping the fruit, pressing them to release crude oil (eventually refined and used by KFC for cooking) and cracking the remaining nuts to obtain kernel oil (typically used for cosmetics).</p>
<p>RSPO guidelines have outlined agricultural practices to help farms like this Ecuadorian one, produce profitable crops while protecting forests and critical habitat.</p>
<p>Farmers, suppliers, certification organizations, procurement teams and companies like Yum! all have a part to play in this production. The more we understand where our ingredients come from and how they're produced, the better decisions we can make together that ultimately strengthen our supply chain and broader business.</p>
<p><b>Supporting farmers strengthens sustainability</b></p>
<p><b><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/fe36a273-8521-4ec9-bae3-01ff91e80add/3/Dia2_RSPO_EB-29.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="620" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></b>The most meaningful part of my visit was meeting the smallholder farmers who own palm farms. Listening to their stories gave me a deeper appreciation for the challenges they face every day. The average smallholder, which is a farmer who owns or rents a small plot of land, in Ecuador grows nearly 100 acres of oil palm trees. They're working to provide for their families while managing small businesses and adapting to changing expectations around sustainability like evolving farming practices or required government certifications. Many don't have the same resources or technical expertise as larger organizations, yet they're committed to improving their practices.</p>
<p>One key way to encourage responsible farming and better protect natural resources is through certification programs. But earning and maintaining those certifications takes time, investment and detailed documentation. While certifications play a key role in setting expectations and protecting the environment, farmers need support to meet them.</p>
<p>That's one reason KFC's partnership with Conservation International focuses on working alongside producers, suppliers and local communities. Through knowledge sharing and stronger local partnerships, farmers can succeed while supporting healthier landscapes for the future.</p>
<p><b>Why responsible sourcing matters</b></p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/fe36a273-8521-4ec9-bae3-01ff91e80add/4/Dia2_RSPO_EB-57.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="620" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>One lesson became clear throughout the trip. By helping farmers adopt more responsible agricultural practices, we can support greater productivity on existing farmland, help protect habitats and strengthen the resilience of our supply chain.</p>
<p>With a greater output, we’re better equipped to withstand challenges like changing weather, shifting markets and growing demand. Those benefits extend well beyond palm oil and include soy and other commodities to promote more sustainable sourcing across commodities.</p>
<p>I’ve always believed that businesses and the environment have a symbiotic relationship, and I left Ecuador with an even stronger opinion that sustainability is about protecting the planet and its people. It's about supporting farmers, protecting natural resources and building partnerships that strengthen communities while creating a more resilient supply chain. Those are investments that benefit everyone, from the people growing our food to the customers we serve.</p>
<p>Hope to see you at a KFC soon, enjoying delicious fried chicken and knowing that we’re taking steps to source ingredients more responsibly.</p>
<p>Habit Burger & Grill started in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969. It’s since grown to almost 400 restaurants across the United States but has remained true to its Californian roots through its laidback atmosphere and made-to-order fare, featuring burgers chargrilled over an open flame, just like food was prepared at the original Habit nearly 60 years ago.</p>
<p>In 2025, the brand added another California connection by <a href="https://www.yum.com/wps/portal/yumbrands/Yumbrands/news/company-stories-article/Habit+Burger+Grill+brings+madetoorder+quality+to+Dodger+Stadium+at+game+day+speed" >teaming up with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a sponsorship deal</a> that included a Habit location in the stadium’s Centerfield Plaza and led to the opening of Dodgers x Habit Home Base, a Dodgers-themed restaurant located nearby in Echo Park. The latter includes a mural complete with a bobble head ball player holding a Charburger, painted by Los Angeles native Alex “Ali” Gonzalez. </p>
<p>“Ali’s work stops people in their tracks,” said Jack Lettenmair, Habit director of Brand & Product Marketing. “People don’t just walk past one of his murals. They stop, take a photo and send it to someone. His work is rooted in L.A., but it travels far beyond the walls of the city.”</p>
<p>True to form, Gonzalez’s Habit mural already has amassed hundreds of thousands of virtual shares, including by some notable Angelenos including two starting Dodgers pitchers, who appear in two of his murals in Pawradise Park and Burbank. The players’ images are so lifelike, they appear as photographs, a nod to Gonzalez’s skill and “grayscale realism” style.</p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/9e778d14-9994-466f-b999-abfad023c169/1/1774555998899+1+%281%29.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="520" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>“I’m mostly self-taught,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve always been attracted to drawing and painting, and over the years I just kept practicing, experimenting and figuring things out through doing the work. A lot of my learning came from actually taking on projects that were bigger and more challenging than what I had done before.”</p>
<p>One such project is a mural featuring a U.S. President at Gonzalez’s former high school in Granada Hills. It was his first mural and gave him the confidence to pick up additional work, including a role as a production assistant on a prolific reality competition show during its first season. Five seasons in, he pitched an idea for original artwork on the show, which executives greenlit, leading to independent commissions from multiple judges from that same show.</p>
<p>“Ali is this homegrown talent who’s a celebrity in his own right,” Lettenmair said. “A lot of artists come to L.A. hoping to make it. Ali’s from here. He built his following doing what he loves, and you can see that love and connection to the city in his work.”</p>
<p>To date, Gonzalez has drawn murals for renowned U.S. and international brands and has featured basketball greats in his work. For Habit, he wanted the design to “feel like L.A. and authentic to the Dodgers, but I also didn’t want it to just look like a giant Dodgers advertisement.” With a cityscape towering over a sign welcoming guests to Dodgers x Habit Home Base, and some nods to Dodgers iconography, the mural achieves his vision.</p>
<p><img src="/wps/wcm/connect/yumbrands/9e778d14-9994-466f-b999-abfad023c169/2/1774555992434+1+%281%29.jpg?MOD=AJPERES" alt="" width="520" title="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>The art also evokes the feel of Echo Park. Known for its popularity with artists, musicians and young professionals, the area combines an edgy, urban cityscape with trendy coffee shops, vintage boutiques and late-night taco trucks.</p>
<p>“I wanted the mural to make sense where it was actually going to live,” Gonzalez said. “You’re not just designing something for a blank canvas. You’re designing something that people are going to see as part of their neighborhood. The L.A. cityscape and Dodgers…connection felt very natural for that location.”</p>
<p>Front and center of the art is Gonzalez’s go-to Habit order – a Double Charburger with Cheese – which is held by the team mascot, a Dodgers Bobblehead. Missing from the mural is a side of Tempura Green Beans, which Gonzalez also swears by and admits that many were consumed while working on the mural.</p>
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<p>Responses to the Habit mural have been overwhelmingly positive, Gonzalez said.</p>
<p>“The best reactions are when people stop while you’re working and immediately recognize the Dodgers and Habit connection,” he said. “It’s a very unique, one-of-a-kind restaurant location and mural.”</p>
<p>As for what’s next for the artist, he’s up for another collaboration.</p>
<p>“I’d love to keep doing projects that bring together art, sports, music and LA culture. There are so many possibilities,” he said. “A major project with the Dodgers or another iconic L.A. brand would definitely be a dream. Maybe a custom mural for a baseball legend would be the Grand Slam of a project.”</p>
<p> And with a Double Charburger with Cheese and Tempura Green Beans as part of the process, Habit may just be the fuel behind his next larger-than-life tribute to L.A. culture.</p>
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