NatureSweet, the vertically integrated company that grows, harvests and sells premium greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, announced Dec. 11 that it has expanded its long-standing adult education initiative for its agricultural workforce, including expanding its bachelor’s degree program.
Nearly 20 years after the program began in Zapotlán, Mexico, with just 26 graduates in 2005, NatureSweet has reached record graduation numbers and launched new university cohorts.
As of December 2025, NatureSweet has celebrated:
- 431 associates graduating the program in 2025 alone, the highest number in the program’s 20-year history
- 2,846 total graduates across all education levels since the program began
- 539 associates completing literacy training
- 471 completing elementary school
- 1,072 completing middle school
- 759 completing high school, including the oldest graduate at 59 years old
- 5 university graduates to date, with enrollment rapidly growing
Currently, 179 associates are actively pursuing diplomas, 20 in high school and 159 at the university level. Among those pursuing higher education, the youngest is 22 years old and the oldest is 55, underscoring the program’s accessibility and life-changing potential at any age.
In 2023, the company introduced its “Unleashing Your Power” bachelor’s program to provide NatureSweet associates with the opportunity to pursue a university degree. With expanded support from fair-trade committees, which voted to direct resources toward educational advancement, NatureSweet established three new university groups in 2025 at its Colima, San Isidro and Zapotlán locations. These new cohorts provided 102 additional associates with the opportunity to begin a university degree. Today:
- 129 associates are pursuing a bachelor’s in agricultural engineering
- 30 associates are pursuing a bachelor’s in industrial engineering
“Our mission has always been to elevate the lives of the people who grow our food,” says Rodolfo Spielmann, president and CEO of NatureSweet. “When agricultural workers gain access to education, they gain the power to transform their families’ futures, power to lead and power to dream bigger than the circumstances around them. These milestones prove what is possible when a company invests in its people with trust, respect and long-term commitment. We’re incredibly proud of every associate who has stepped forward to pursue their education and we remain dedicated to expanding this opportunity even further.”
