Today more than ever, consumers are striving for well-being and a healthier lifestyle. As awareness grows, so does the interest in a fair and sustainable food supply chain. More and more consumers want to know where products come from and what impact their own purchasing decisions have on the environment and the lives of producers.

With their desire for transparency and sustainability, many consumers expect retailers and supermarkets to enable them to make responsible purchasing decisions. The Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize does exactly that. In 2020, the supermarket was the first food retailer to include our climate-neutral BE CLIMATE bananas in its range of products – since the beginning of this year they are even available as climate-neutral organic Fairtrade bananas. Thanks to this development, the concept of a sustainable and fair trade becomes actually tangible for the customers right there on the shelf.

It all began in 1996 with a visit from Bert Beekman who, on behalf of the Dutch Max Havelaar Foundation, was looking for cargo space for the sea transport to Europe of a few pallets of “fairly traded” bananas. Our managing director Mike Port was curious and soon started to get enthusiastic about the Fairtrade idea. Negotiations followed with the Dutch founding father of the Max Havelaar Foundation, Pastor Nico Roozen, which ultimately laid the foundation for our commitment for and the distribution of fairly traded fruit.

What does fair actually mean? Everyone probably answers this question a little differently. But there is one thing we should be able to agree on: People should earn at least enough from their work so that they can live on it.
Fair trade helps to ensure that producers in developing countries can make a decent living from their work. Stable Fairtrade prices ensure a regular income for local farmers, and the additional Fairtrade premium can be used to implement projects for the common good.