Innocent Drinks has named nine producers from Europe and South America as winners of its £1m Farmer Innovation Fund.
The scheme, which first launched in 2021 and expanded its grant investment last year, supports innovative projects that champion regenerative agriculture and help safeguard the future long-term supply of fruit & veg.
According to the smoothie giant, this year’s winners were chosen for their projects that grow 10 unique ingredients and address key agricultural challenges, including soil health, water efficiency, biodiversity, crop resilience, and carbon reduction.
Turkey-based pomegranate supplier Konfrut, Spanish orange and clementine supplier Zuvamesa and Costa Rican banana supplier Chiquita each won the grants for the first time.
Konfrut was selected for its plans to introduce a sustainability pilot on three smallholder pomegranate farms in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, alongside climate and nature-positive practices to address water scarcity and soil degradation.
Zuvamesa’s trial of natural formulations made from citrus d-limonene to reduce synthetic pesticide use and enhance soil water retention to cut irrigation needs and carbon emissions also attracted funding. Chiquita’s innovation partnership, Yelloway, which is developing disease-resistant banana varieties to reduce reliance on the vulnerable Cavendish clone, also secured investment.
Meanwhile, six of this year’s recipients were also previous winners.
These comprised Polish apple supplier Time 4 Bee (Doehler Foundation); UK-based blackcurrant supplier Pixley Berries; Spanish strawberry supplier SVZ; Costa Rican pineapple supplier Florida Products; Sensus, the chicory root fibre producer, located in the Netherlands and Belgium; and the GNT Group (Netherlands, Belgium and Germany), which grows and extracts natural colour from carrots and pumpkins.
“I’m proud of our continued investment in building meaningful partnerships with our suppliers,” said Nick Canney, Innocent Drinks chief executive. “This year’s Farmer Innovation Fund winners are tackling some of agriculture’s key challenges, and it’s inspiring to see our suppliers at the forefront of the transition to more sustainable farming practices.
“This year’s Farmer Innovation Fund winners are tackling some of agriculture’s key challenges, and it’s inspiring to see our suppliers at the forefront of the transition to more sustainable farming practices.”
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