Growing and pushing the boundaries all the time, one idea led to the next. The growers, uniquely, became co-owners of our company, not only enjoying better prices for their product, but gaining a real say in the marketing and development of our initiative and with that at the perspective of decent wages and real progress. Together with them and with our own teams of highly qualified experts, we tackled challenges and problems as they presented themselves. Always aiming to be ahead of the field, but always firmly rooted in our founding principles: fair income for farmers and workers and care for the planet.

The large breakthrough came when Swiss supermarket Coop decided to switch its whole banana offering to Fairtrade! All of a sudden, we could make a real impact and prove that small farmers are capable of playing a professional role in such an important value chain. We introduced organic bananas at an early stage, and became pioneers of it in Ecuador and Peru. The experience we gained with bananas, we applied to other products, such as pineapples, mangoes and coconuts.

Our aim is still to bring glorious tropical fruit to the tables of the consumer. But on top of that, we are constantly branching out and pioneering in ways we could not have imagined 25 years ago. We have joined forces with scientists across the world to develop instruments to lower CO2 emissions and pesticide use, to study smart soil management and to cover new ground in clever irrigation techniques. We partake actively in the World Banana Forum and other international initiatives, leading the field, sharing knowledge, bundling forces. Because when it comes down to the bottom line our roots are still firmly in place: we are still bananas about Fairtrade. Bananas about people. Bananas about our planet, and intending to push out the frontlines for many years to come.