STRIVING FOR PERFECTION

Fresh fruit procurement is crucial to our world. Both practically and also emotionally. Without finding the highest quality fruit from the most dedicated growers around the globe we simply would not exist. 

Because the growing season in the UK is so short, we work with very few suppliers in this country, and so have to rely on the tenacity and expertise of a worldwide network of more than 500 passionate farmers and communities. 

The main countries we source from are Honduras, Peru, Egypt, South Africa, Spain, Brazil and Costa Rica. Our wider network includes India, Mali, Burkina Faso, Israel, Eswatini and many more.

On the ground in these countries, we want to build long-term grower relationships. Trust drives everything, and a lot of deals are still done on a handshake.

We have proven time and time again that we are invested in these communities. It goes beyond client and supplier. We know every grower by name, and there are certain families that we’ve worked alongside for generations now. For us, it’s personal because that’s how most growers like it. These are, at heart, humble, family-run businesses that value loyalty and honesty above anything else. Sometimes a fast ‘no’ is better than a slow ‘yes’ in building a long-term relationship. 

We’re not growers ourselves, but with more than 35 years experience in the industry, we’ve learned a lot. So anyone we work with can benefit from the wealth of knowledge our wider network holds. We always share tips and learnings across our network, optimising every growing cycle with practical innovation that anyone can take advantage of.

OUR PREFERRED GROWERS AND IMPORTERS

It’s worth underlining that a lot of our products come from countries and communities that live in a way that’s very different to the UK. 

Even the concept of ‘prepared fruit’ is alien to most of South America because they eat fresh, eat local and eat in season. 

And so working with these growers is as much a process of education as it is logistics. We try to teach everyone about their fruit’s ultimate destination, and the places and moments where it’ll be enjoyed.
Our growers find that very rewarding, and it makes them proud to see photos of their fruit on our high streets.

We believe that successful businesses come from successful communities. Our work aims to lift up whole regions, providing jobs, safety and in many cases, access to essential healthcare and education. 

In conjunction with the fruit and the value they offer, we positively select growers who have social and ethical responsibility projects in their communities, giving them priority over others.

As part of our support for growers, we also offer:

Free auditing
Compliance help

at a local, national and international level

Free action planning

both in-country and via remote learning, including offering access to global training fund

Long-term structural change

building or upgrading existing facilities, for example

Agrolibano

This is a family-run project we’ve worked with for many years, growing a variety of melons across a large area in Honduras, near the border with El Salvador. 

Since we first connected with the Molina family, they now operate across various aspects of the business, and they have even started a foundation to support the wider community. 

Over the years, we’ve donated around £50,000 to help establish education programmes to support basic healthcare.