Westfalia Fruit is supporting sustainable development by helping smallholder farmers access global markets and secure their livelihoods.

The initiative is taking place in some of the poorest and most remote regions of the world, such as Africa and South America. The company seeks to lift communities out of poverty while allowing the firm to meet the burgeoning consumer demand for avocados and other fruits.

“Our approach, under which we provide excellent returns for crops as well as support, technical advice, help to achieve global accreditation standards and educational initiatives, is part of a wide-ranging community support agenda that illustrates Westfalia’s commitment to a long term sustainable partnership with local growers and communities,” said Johnathan Sutton, Westfalia Group Executive of Safety and Environment.

Bosques de Niebla de Monabamba, in Peru, is one of the company’s success stories. Westfalia is collaborating with a cooperative of 80 experienced avocado producers to help them achieve Global G.A.P certification to enable them to access the international avocado market, creating sustainable local employment. 

Additionally, in 2022, Westfalia Peru celebrated the first collective of small and medium growers across five key growing regions who successfully achieved Rainforest Alliance certification. 

A remote region in Tanzania has also benefited from this program. The firm supported a group of farmers to develop avocado production for the late international marketing window, with the first crops arriving in 2021. 

This particular area in Tanzania has excellent natural resources for the late season and is an ideal location for developing new cultivars. In 2022 both South Africa and India granted access for Tanzanian avocados, providing a new market for the locally developing industry.

“We work very much in partnership with smallholders, bringing them into the value chain, helping with certification and accreditations whilst building sustainable future wealth for the local communities. Our local teams are now working with smallholders to develop financial and management skills to also support their long term sustainable development,” Sutton concluded.

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