Fresh produce exporter FairFruit has set a 2035 target to significantly expand Fair Trade USA certification across its grower network in Guatemala and Peru, aiming to boost sales of certified specialty vegetables for U.S. buyers while driving community investments at origin.
Building on 13 consecutive seasons of certified production in Guatemala and nine years in Peru, the Belgian-based group says it currently has 1 in 5 of its regional growers certified. Under the new roadmap, FairFruit plans to increase both its headcount of certified producers and the volume of certified produce sold, expanding the funds available via the Fair Trade Premium.
For U.S. buyers, the strategy will promise a year-round, dual-origin supply of Fair Trade Certified specialty crops including French beans, baby carrots, snow peas, sugar snaps and English peas sourced from Guatemala between November and April and from Peru from May through November, according to FairFruit.
“We believe agriculture has the power to transform lives,” says Evert Wulfrank, CEO of FairFruit USA. “After 13 years of committing to the Fair Trade USA program in Guatemala and nine years in Peru, the practical next step is to increase our certified volume so the returns from the premium can grow.”
Impact at Origin
To date, FairFruit says its programs have generated more than $615,000 in Fair Trade Premiums in Guatemala across 177 certified growers and more than $106,000 across 26 producers in Peru.
Recent community projects funded by the premiums include:
- Drip irrigation training, drinking water filters, replacement piping for clean village water, and a 1,200-square-meter water reservoir in Peru.
- Medical post equipment, eye-health campaigns for plant workers, first-aid facilities, and protective gear during harvest seasons.
- School canteen and sanitation upgrades, alongside seasonal food baskets for producer families.
“U.S. buyers increasingly are asking for evidence rather than statements,” says Caroline Floren, sales and operations manager at FairFruit USA. “Their questions have moved from whether the certification exists to what has changed at a farm level. That is where the long-term nature of our partnerships matters. We can show what the premium has funded and how those decisions are made.”
FairFruit says this model was recently audited during a site visit by a Fair Trade USA delegation to FairFruit Guatemala. Discussions centered on premium governance and FairFruit’s proprietary ERP-based traceability system, which allows teams to trace any box of produce back to its specific grower plot in under one minute.
“The Fair Trade premium is governed, not granted,” says Guy Trachez, FairFruit sustainability manager. “A committee of workers and growers decides, the company supports implementation and an auditor verifies. Certification is the mechanism that makes our 2035 commitment auditable rather than aspirational.”
