Winning projects will support growers in 14 countries to adopt climate-friendly farm practices and secure the future of core ingredients in Innocent’s range, from citrus to coconut
Smoothie brand Innocent has announced 18 winners of its £1 million 2026 Farmer Innovation Fund to help its key fruit and veg suppliers increase climate resilience.
The winning projects, which span 14 countries and seven ingredients, include helping citrus growers in Brazil tackle crop disease and coconut producers in the Philippines to become more resilient.
Other projects focus on environmental challenges including climate, water management and biodiversity loss.
“Being able to bring fruit and veg to more people, starts entirely with the people who grow it,” said Innocent CEO, Nick Canney.
“This year’s winners are taking on some of the biggest challenges facing agriculture today, from climate resilience and water management to carbon reduction and biodiversity. We’re delighted to support these innovative projects and look forward to seeing the positive impact they can deliver.”
This year’s winners were also chosen partly to help secure the future of fruit and veg that are seeing particular growth in demand, such as coconut water.
A project with coconut processor Peter Paul is helping small farmers adopt climate-smart farming practices to build resilience to climate change long term.
Fair trade officer at Peter Paul Philippine, Clarito Q. Ona, said: “Our project helps farmers in the Bondoc Peninsula and Pagbilao clusters with mulching techniques to improve soil moisture, fertility and yield. By strengthening resilience at the farm level, we can help farming communities better adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.”
Other winners included projects to secure significant ingredients in the Innocent range, such as oranges.
In Brazil, a project is piloting a new approach to measuring greenhouse gas emissions and carbon removals at farm level.
The project is combining farm data, soil sampling, remote sensing and carbon modelling to create a scalable framework and improve confidence in agricultural carbon data.
“Oranges are a strategically important ingredient, and building resilient citrus supply chains starts with understanding the real impact of actions taken on the farm,” said senior consultant at agency 3Keel, Garett Stoll.
Now in its fifth year, the Farmer Innovation Fund is Innocent’s annual grant of up to £1 million, designed to support growers to adopt regenerative and climate-resilient farming practices.
With over half of the drinks giant’s carbon footprint coming from its ingredients, the fund is seen as the biggest opportunity to reduce Scope 3 emissions while improving resilience.
