Family-owned fresh fruit importer and marketer Jac. Vandenberg is making good on its 2022 promise of achieving sustainably-grown certifications for all SUNRAYS mandarin growers by the end of 2024.

The firm just announced its first sustainable mandarin crop shipments are coming to the U.S.  this summer, as Uruguay provider Forbel and Peru’s Pampa Baja were recently certified by SCS Global Services.

Forbel is Uruguay’s  first citrus grower to achieve this certification and is one of the country's top five citrus exporters. 

“Collaborations and partnerships are critical to turning ideas into actions, and this achievement by our grower partners is a testament to that. We are proud to be working with the teams at Forbel and Pampa Baja who share the same deep passion for sustainability and the protection of our species,” says John Paap, sustainability manager at Jac. Vandenberg.

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“This accomplishment reinforces the company's commitment to implement sustainability practices: economically viable, socially beneficial, and environmentally respectful,” adds Forbel Operations Manager, Product and Certifications Malena Miglionico.

The first sustainably grown certified SUNRAYS mandarins, the “snack with impact”-brand, will be available in supermarkets across the U.S. this coming summer, shipped from these certified farms.