In June 2025, Continental Fresh celebrated five years of its Water for All mangoes program. The company’s signature philanthropic program donates a percentage of the proceeds from every case of mangoes sold to improving water infrastructure in Latin America. According to Albert Perez, CEO of Continental Fresh, the program started as a seasonal effort, but has since grown to be year round.
“Since its launch, Water for All has helped fund multiple clean water and sanitation projects, directly impacting more than 1,000 people,” Perez says. While projects have been built in Ecuador, Nicaragua and Colombia, most projects have been in the Dominican Republic.
“Water for All funds gravity-fed aqueduct systems that bring clean, running water directly into homes in rural Latin American communities,” he adds. “These systems are built in partnership with BLUE Missions, using natural elevation to transport water from mountain springs to villages, eliminating the need for pumps or electricity.”
The programs also eliminate the need for women and children, who are usually tasked with fetching distant water where no water infrastructure exists, to travel long distances. Perez describes this dynamic as time poverty, often resulting in children missing school and women missing out on work opportunities. Water piped into communities and homes lessens that impact.
Perez gives an example of one project.
“In 2024, Water For All helped fund an aqueduct that now serves over 80 families in the Dominican Republic,” he says. “Before the project, families had to walk long distances to fetch water from a shared source. Today, each home has access to clean, safe water — improving hygiene, reducing illness and allowing children to return to school instead of fetching water.”
He adds that lack of water infrastructure and contaminated water sources are among the top water issues facing the parts of rural Latin America that Water for All focuses on.
“We believe that access to clean water is a fundamental human right,” Perez says, “And our mangoes serve as a vehicle for change. Every purchase supports our ongoing efforts to improve lives through water infrastructure and education.”
Your Next Reads:
