Frutura announced that Frutura LLC; Dayka & Hackett (U.S.); Subsole (Chile); and Frutura Uruguay join Agrícola Don Ricardo (Peru) as newly certified B Corporations™ ("B Corps").
B Corp Certification marks the beginning of a journey for companies committed to sustainability, accountability, and transparency in their corporate protocols. This certification is made by B Lab™.
Frutura Uruguay's new fertigation system has achieved a 30 percent+ reduction in water use per hectare of citrus.
"Because one of Frutura's central principles is the championing of ethical and responsible business practices in large-scale farming, being B Corp Certified was a priority from the outset," said Frutura's CEO David Krause. "Until we began the process, I didn't have a full appreciation for the work it would take over several years. Everyone at Frutura is indebted to our colleagues who worked to make B Corp Certification a broader reality."
He adds that the proof is in the hiring. "Many companies hire sustainability leads because they want to enhance impact work within their already-mature organizations. We are something of a unicorn for a global enterprise of its size and scope because working toward social and environmental best practices was baked in from our founding. Our head of sustainability, Jesse Last, was the second senior hire we made. I'm not sure that anything could make a stronger statement than that about our company's commitment to impact."
L-R: Jesse Last, David Krause
Meaningful progress has been made across the company in priority impact areas including advancing climate stability, reducing waste, improving water security, empowering individual growth, and enhancing regional wellbeing.
Examples include:
- Dayka & Hackett improved energy efficiency across its operations by 36 percent, with just under 50 percent of its consumed electricity generated by the company's on-site solar panels;
- Frutura Uruguay invested in new, highly efficient fertigation technology on 1,000+ acres of citrus production, reducing water use by over 30 percent compared to previous irrigation methods;
- In 2024, Subsole changed its policy to extend complementary health insurance to all of the company's employees - a six-fold year-over-year increase. This allows all of the company's employees, and their families if they choose, to access benefits that Chile's public and private health insurance systems do not cover.
"What gets measured, gets managed," said Last. "B Corp Certification takes this approach and Frutura spent the better part of a year investing in the establishment of baselines - platform-wide – against which we track our performance. This ongoing assessment drives continuous improvement."
Subsole's biofiltration system harnesses the power of nature to clean wastewater from its Isla de Maipo packing house.
To maintain certification, companies must undertake the assessment and verification process every three years, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to B Lab's high standards — which are always improving, with continual input from expert stakeholders.
Dayka & Hackett's Fresh Select packing house generates over 50% of its power from on-site solar panels.
For more information:
Frutura LLC
[email protected]
www.fruturaproduce.com