In celebration of National Farmworker Awareness Week, Nogales, Ariz.-based Divine Flavor has said their new Jalisco grape operation at Grupo Alta- Don Mario has become the latest ranch within the company to become Fair Trade Certified.
The recent achievement, according to a news release, comes at the same time agriculture observes National Farmworker Awareness Week in late March.
“Divine Flavor has been a close partner of Fair Trade USA for the past decade we’re excited to support them as they continue to expand their Fair Trade Certified program to include their new Jalisco site,” Jesse Appelman, director of fresh goods at Fair Trade USA, said in the news release.
“This comes at a great time as it’s Farmworker Awareness Week and their recent certification will bring approximately 1,100 more workers under the protections of our standards and benefiting from Fair Trade community development funds.”
Divine Flavor, the release said, aims to certify all of their growing locations under the fair trade standard. As a long-standing partner of Fair Trade USA, Divine Flavor and Grupo Alta have created programs that have resulted in more than $6.5 million worth of Fair Trade Community Development funds returned back to the farm workers and their families.
“To grow the freshest and healthiest products, it starts with treating the land and people with respect”, Carlos Bon, vice president of sales for Divine Flavor, said in the release. “This has always been Divine Flavor’s core philosophy to take care of its workers and having a partner such as Fair Trade USA allows us to fulfill our promise of taking care of them.”
Since 2013, Divine Flavor and its farms have produced more than 233 million plus pounds of Fair Trade Certified goods, the release said.
“The fair trade certification helps us validate our work practices and their company advocates to the world the cause we are supporting- the farm worker and our employees,” Bon said in the release. “It’s sustainable and responsible agriculture.”
