A unique grower-shipper and two standard-setting partnerships
Magaly Alfaro Avalos is a greenhouse harvester at NatureSweet, an industry-leading greenhouse grower and shipper of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. She shares that her work at the company has enabled her to buy a home, support her family through three pregnancies, and earn a bachelor’s degree in agriculture – all supported by company benefits.
Magaly’s story is incredible, and far from unique among NatureSweet employees. Her experience is a result of the company’s commitment to its workers and two transformative partnerships with Fair Trade USA™, the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America, and B Lab, the nonprofit that certifies companies as B Corps™ for meeting high social, environmental, and governance standards.
NatureSweet is setting an industry standard for social responsibility. Their dedication to transforming the lives of agricultural workers is aligned with and affirmed by the values of both Fair Trade USA and B Lab.
Fair Trade USA’s award-winning Fair Trade Certified™ label means that workers receive fair wages, safe working conditions, and access to essential benefits while protecting the environment. B Lab’s B Corp certification verifies NatureSweet’s adherence to the highest standards of sustainability and transparency.
Improving the lives of agricultural workers in North America is at the heart of NatureSweet’s mission.
Driven by a purpose where agricultural workers are empowered, NatureSweet grows high quality organic and conventional produce year-round. The company’s fruits and vegetables are carefully grown, harvested, packaged, and transported by about 9,000 company associates. NatureSweet is the largest vertically integrated controlled-environment agricultural company in North America and is dedicated to having a positive social, environmental, and economic impact within communities. The company pursued Fair Trade and B Corp certifications to enhance commitments in these areas and encourage others in the industry to follow suit.
NatureSweet & Fair Trade USA
Fair Trade Certified is a leading certification program that ensures products are made according to rigorous Fair Trade standards, promoting sustainable livelihoods, safe working conditions, environmental protection, and strong, transparent supply chains. As Fair Trade Certified products are sold, companies pay an additional premium, called Community Development Funds, that go back to the workers. These funds allow farmers and workers to invest in development projects that address their community’s greatest needs, such as access to clean water, education, housing, and healthcare.
NatureSweet’s partnership with Fair Trade USA began in 2021 when they began certifying their farming operations and launching Fair Trade Certified tomato products nationwide with support from Walmart. Since then, the alliance has generated $4 million in Community Development Funds for NatureSweet workers, who now earn almost 40 percent above the median wage for agricultural workers in Mexico and 25 percent more than workers for other top tomato growers.
NatureSweet built on this success in 2023 with a major commitment to make 100 percent of NatureSweet-branded snacking tomatoes Fair Trade Certified to set a new precedent for the industry.
“Nuestros asociados no son solo la razón de nuestro éxito, sino que también son el “por qué” detrás de lo que hacemos”, dijo Rodolfo Spielmann, presidente y director ejecutivo de NatureSweet. “Nuestro deseo es dar a nuestros trabajadores lo mejor que podamos porque ellos lo ganan, incluyendo educación y salarios competitivos. Invitamos a todos los productores a unirse al movimiento”.
NatureSweet’s commitment represents a “Lighthouse” partnership within the Fair Trade USA network, sending a signal to the industry and consumers that the Fair Trade Certified program is a valued and essential tool for the most respected and influential brands.
NatureSweet & B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization transforming the global economy to benefit people, communities, and the planet. Founded in 2006, B Lab is on a mission to partner with businesses to create a more equitable and sustainable future. B Lab sets high standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency, requiring companies to demonstrate exceptional performance across all aspects of their business to earn certification. Once certified, companies must continually improve to maintain their status – balancing profit with purpose and fostering a global movement where business is a force for good.
As with Fair Trade USA, NatureSweet and B Lab identified a mutual commitment to industry-leading social, environmental, and governance performance, and a high degree of transparency and accountability to workers, communities, and customers. With this foundation of shared values, NatureSweet pursued and ultimately earned B Corp certification in 2023.
The process of earning this certification helped NatureSweet to better understand and improve on their practices as a company, thanks to B Lab’s rigorous approach to measurement and continuous improvement. A centerpiece of the certification is the B Impact Assessment– a digital tool that helps companies measure, manage, and improve ethical performance across their business practices.
NatureSweet’s B Impact Assessment results demonstrate the company’s commitment to the planet, its workers, and their communities.
NatureSweet’s partnership with Fair Trade USA led to outstanding performance in the assessment’s Community category. To date, the company’s Fair Trade program has generated $4 million in Community Development Premiums, which are invested directly in improving workers’ livelihoods via living wages, literacy programs, and educational opportunities – and NatureSweet expects this amount to grow by $2-3 million per year. These industry-leading benefits offer economic value for workers while enhancing employee retention, a major benefit to the business.
In the Workers category, NatureSweet stood out for its dedication to health, wellness, and workforce development. Thanks to company benefits, more than 5,700 lives were impacted in 2023. Thousands of workers now have access to dental care, many of whom have never received dental services. The company’s Nutrition Counseling and Health Food program includes monthly meal plans and food pantries that offer healthy options, ensuring employees have the knowledge and resources they need to make informed choices about their diets. The program also includes vision care, offering ophthalmology services to employees – 40 percent of whom suffer from vision problems and previously had no access to care. The company also offers opportunities for workers to grow professionally through training and continuing education. Through their adult education program, more than 2,300 NatureSweet associates have earned elementary school, middle school, or high school diplomas. The program has been such a success that it has expanded to include a bachelor’s degree program. The first class will graduate in 2028 with degrees in agriculture or engineering.
NatureSweet employees earn almost 40% above the median wage of agricultural workers in Mexico.
NatureSweet’s environmental commitment shines in the assessment’s Environment category, where they excelled in resource conservation and toxin reduction. For example, the company’s innovative hydroponic farming methods use less water than traditional farming, with data showing that Controlled Environment Agriculture greenhouse practices use about 80% less water than open field farming.
B Corp’s detailed, data-driven assessment process allowed NatureSweet to document and demonstrate the power of ethical business practices to improve lives, help communities thrive, and protect the environment.
NatureSweet’s partnerships with Fair Trade USA and B Lab represent a powerful convergence of shared values and complementary goals. The B Lab and Fair Trade USA programs amplify NatureSweet’s mission and vision of a just, equitable world. Fair Trade Certification provides rigor and third-party verification that NatureSweet’s workforce is fairly compensated, and that work conditions are safe and give employees the dignity they deserve. Being a B Corp provides transparency around the company’s performance in social, environmental, and governance initiatives. Together, the partnerships provide NatureSweet with a framework in outlining these achievements and encouraging continuous improvement.
The impact of these collaborations extends beyond NatureSweet itself, influencing the agricultural industry and offering a replicable model for community development.
Thanks to NatureSweet’s industry-leading reputation, their embrace of the Fair Trade Certified and B Corp models sets an example for the sector on how a business can be a force for good. Investments in worker education, health, and economic development directly help NatureSweet workers, and lead to a ripple effect of economic growth and sustainability in their communities. It also leads to stronger supply chains and worker engagement in operations.
NatureSweet, Fair Trade USA, and B Lab see the potential for their collective impact to strengthen in the coming years. There is no shortage of opportunities for further innovation and advancement in sustainability and social responsibility. As these partnerships continue to thrive, the hope is that companies like NatureSweet will inspire others to also pursue a virtuous cycle of purpose and profitability.
Interested in learning more about how Fair Trade Certified can unlock transformative impact for your business? Get started today.