Bio-Organic. Fair Trade.

About AgroFair

In 2021, we celebrated our 25th anniversary as the pioneer of Fairtrade. We were created for the sake of introducing Fairtrade bananas and the concept is still at the heart of our company. We are AgroFair. And we are bananas about our planet. About its people. And about bananas. These are our three main concerns. And in all three fields, we are going for the best.

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The story of AgroFair

It was the year 1996. The production and trade of bananas was dominated by a few multinationals. The workers suffered from poor working conditions: little legal protection, low wages, unsafe working conditions, especially from exposure to pesticides. Small farmers had to do business on unfavourable terms.

Care for the planet and its people

The damage to the health of local residents and to ecosystems was considerable. Our founder Solidaridad wanted to extend the Fairtrade/Max Havelaar principle from coffee to bananas. Unfortunately, the established banana companies were not interested. Solidaridad therefore decided to handle the import itself.  From humble beginnings, there is now a socially responsible import company with a turnover in the millions.

Today we serve producers in many countries, such as Peru, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, while we serve customers all over Europe, but also in Australasia, notably New Zealand and  Korea.

Fair income for farmers and workers

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.

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Lower CO2 emissions and pesticide use

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.

From here to there

A world map of producing countries, selling countries and the distribution of our offices.

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