Fairtrade fruit specialist AgroFair UK has launched a dedicated service for the sale and marketing of fruit juices and purées from Fairtrade fruit growers.
AgroFair is best known for bringing the first Fairtrade bananas, mangoes, pineapples and other fruit to market. However, it has also provided fruit purées and juices for the first Fairtrade baby food, the first fruit smoothies and for the new Ben & Jerry’s Fairtrade Chunky Monkey ice cream.
AgroFair UK managing director John Bowes said: “We are now adding extra focus to this area of our work because of the huge demand for Fairtrade ingredients. This will give the farming groups which co-own AgroFair another market for their fruit, which in turn helps farmers build a better future for their families.”
The fruit will be puréed and juiced in the countries of origin. Philippa Marshall, Ben & Jerry’s social mission manager, said: “We've visited AgroFair’s Co-op in Ecuador and traced the banana we use in our Fairtrade Chunky Monkey from farm to purée. We witnessed first hand just why this purée is as good as it tastes - because farmers not only receive a fair price for their crops but they have a stake in Agrofair influencing how it’s run and receiving their share of the profits.”
Fairtrade sales in the UK grew by 72 per cent to around half a billion pounds over 2007, and this ingredients service will greatly help companies looking to launch or extend an ethical range.
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