Nature's Pride is specialised in the import and export of exotic vegetables and fruit, such as mango, avocados and asparagus. The company is busy with the ripening, packaging and distribution of these products. At this moment Nature's Price is still located at the industrial site Honderdland in Maasdijk, but they are working hard on building new premises a few hundred meters away.
Poverty
In certain situations everybody thinks, 'how bad, something must be done'. Harris, however doesn't think this way. "I think it's important to actually do something about it." For Harris sustainability is certainly no 'window dressing'. Through her relationship with farmers in developing countries over the years, she has honed her focus on the welfare of the people who directly, and also indirectly, work for Nature's Pride. "The poverty I have seen in people in rural areas including Peru and Guatemala, have had a very big impact on me. Therefore I think it is important to ensure that all employees of the growers who we do business with, in terms of working conditions, must receive a basic level. By promoting economic growth in a social way, we can reduce poverty."
Audits
Since 2006 all suppliers of Nature's Pride were required to sign an Ethical Trading Initiative. This contract includes agreements on working conditions, child labour and pay. Still the signing of this contract, for Harris, doesn't go far enough and since 2012 Nature's Pride has grower audits conducted by the Institute for Market Ecology (IMO). If it appears that the growers are not keeping their agreement they are given a second chance to put things in order. When a grower really cannot meet the requirements of the audit, Nature's Pride stops receiving their products. "We choose the hard way," said Harris. "Our goal is for 100% of our growers in developing countries to pass controls."
Fair Trade
Besides Nature's Pride stance on social certification for all its products, the company also wants all its mango growers to achieve a Fair Trade Certificate which means they are controlled by international labour rights with a Fair Trade minimum price guaranteed and there is a Fair Trade premium withheld. Harris: "We offer our growers a guaranteed minimum price, which consists of a cost price plus an honest profit. If the market rises, we pay the market price. We also hold a Fair Trade premium from about € 0.07. This amount is put into a special bank account for the grower to use on social projects. Examples of this are, taking out extra medical insurance for workers of DOT Fruits in the Dominican Republic, and the building of a child nursery by Dominus in Peru."
People, Planet, Profit
The Corporate Social Responsibility staff at Nature's Pride, pay strict attention to the social projects funded with the money from the Fair Trade premium. One of these employees is Regina Pasmans. "We do not allow this money out until the project has full approval," she says. "Right now Nature's Pride focuses on 'the people', but sustainability is naturally a game with three elements, 'People', 'Planet' en 'Profit'. I hope that within a couple of years' we can also provide environmental support and next to that we must not forget the 'profit portion'. After all, we are a business."
Stronger Together
This article comes from the magazine Together Stronger published by Rabobank Westland.
Click here for the online magazine.