GLOBAL - Back in September of 2022, Westfalia Fruit Group announced that it was ramping up for Fruit Attraction with a whole host of sustainability initiatives on deck. Now, the supplier is ramping up for Fruit Logistica in Germany next month. As such, Westfalia recently delivered a recap of three innovative agricultural approaches that utilize sustainable development.

Westfalia Fruit is growing its partnerships with smallholder farmers to help provide access to global markets and empower them to build sustainable livelihoods. In Peru, Westfalia is collaborating with a cooperative of 80 avocado producers to help them achieve GLOBALG.A.P. certification, with another collective having successfully achieved Rain Forest Alliance certification in 2022. In Tanzania, Westfalia has supported a group of farmers to develop avocado production for the late international marketing window, a press release stated.

Education, too, is a powerful tool utilized by Westfalia. Founder Dr. Hans Merensky created a foundation to provide support for students to study a range of subjects, with a focus on agriculture-related disciplines. In the past three years in South Africa Westfalia has awarded 45 bursaries and enrolled more than 100 candidates in apprenticeship and learnership programs. In Chile, the company is working with several schools focussing on the environment and education, while both in Chile and Colombia Westfalia supports colleagues with study time off work.

Applied research dealing with subtropical crops is another priority, with a specific focus on avocados. The in-house dedicated team of scientists and technicians in South Africa, and at regional hubs around the world, focuses on breeding programs, increasing the effective use of biological and organic inputs, and continuous development and exploration.

For more sustainability initiatives in the industry, keep clicking back to ANUK.

Westfalia Fruit Group