Editor’s note: Supplier Spotlight is a new department for our PMG magazine. These feature articles give some additional insight into what companies are doing to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Martín Casanova and Raul Fernandez created the Thx! brand with an eye toward differentiating their produce offerings, particularly berries and cherries.
Each clamshell of Thx! berries sports a label with a photo of a farmworker, a QR code, and the tagline “Thx! for making my dream come true.” Scanning the QR code allows the shopper to listen to that farmworker’s story. On the Thx! Dreams website, there are more than two dozen such stories, with many marked “Achieved!” with a thumbs-up icon.
In the process of talking with farmworkers to ask them about their dreams, Casanova and Fernandez found that the effect of the program was greater than they had expected.
“We realized that this was much more important than the dreams themselves,” Casanova said.
He and Fernandez found that while providing a family with a new wheelchair or paying for a surgery or repairing their roof certainly made a significant difference, the real power of the program was in letting people know the company cared.
Some people broke down in tears when asked what they needed, only to explain that they didn’t want anything, but they were so moved that someone asked them.
“The main problem is not that they are poor,” Casanova said. “The main problem is the indifference that people sometimes have toward them.
“That’s why we believe that our program is very important to promote (their) dignity and to help these people beyond the specific needs that they have,” Casanova said.
Fudi Food has berries nearly year-round now but is working to add growers to have a more consistent supply throughout the year. The berries are currently sourced from Georgia, British Columbia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Mexico, with other locations being added.
The Thx! brand has been in retailers including Whole Foods and Winn-Dixie, among others.
Casanova noted that many produce companies have programs through which they endeavor to take care of their farmworkers, and he hopes more and more organizations adopt that mindset.
The dream of the Thx! brand is to reach 1,000 farmworkers a year, he said. Fudi Food is looking to partner with other companies to increase the brand’s reach and impact.
For more about Thx!, listen to the full interview with Casanova in the video above.
