A big thanks to Kevin from Crofter’s Organic for contributing this blog post.
At Crofter’s Organic we have a deep respect for food history when we ate simple, clean food produced in a sustainable way. Our certified organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, low sugar fruit spreads reflect this, without sacrificing flavor or nutrition. We believe the organic movement can have the greatest impact when nutritious, organic foods are accessible to a greater number of people, so we take care to craft a fruit spread that has good nutrition and cares for the well-being of our planet while being affordable.
It all starts at the source – organic farms. Every farm we source ingredients from supports a better global environment. Annually Crofter’s supports over 5000 acres of organic agriculture between the fruit, fair trade cane sugar and grape juice in our fruit spreads. Having personal, long term relationships with our suppliers allows us to continue offering high quality, affordably priced, organic fruit spreads that respect the environment and people involved at all levels of the food chain.
While researching new opportunities to increase our social responsibility we discovered Whole Planet Foundation® and were immediately impressed. Empowering the poor through microcredit aligned perfectly with our values and was something simple, yet impactful for those most in need.
We were thrilled to launch our membership with the Whole Planet Foundation® Ten Thousand Dollar Fund® with an initial $5,000 donation. Throughout the coming year we will continue to donate portions of our sales by partnering with Whole Foods Market regions across the nation. Beginning in October we will be donating 20 cents from every jar sold at select Whole Foods Market regions.
Our membership with the Whole Planet Foundation® will also enhance our current social efforts like our partnership with the Green Cane Project in Brazil. Crofter’s has been using organic fair trade (IBD EcoSocial) cane sugar from the Green Cane Project exclusively since 2008 in all of our cane sugar sweetened products. The sugar is also Rainforest Alliance certified, verifying that sustainable processes are used in the growth, harvesting, and refinement of every pound of sugar produced. Through this partnership, every jar of Crofter’s cane sugar sweetened fruit spread already helps improve the lives of rural sugarcane workers and supports biodiversity.
The Green Cane Project has gained worldwide recognition for attaining environmental gains through innovative pest control, soil preparation, and mechanized harvest methods in contrast to traditional burning of fields. Rural workers that are no longer needed in the extinct manual harvest are equipped with the needed skills to take on new positions with the company, providing higher wages, better working conditions and social support for their families.
We have had the privilege to visit The Green Cane Project and see first-hand the incredible results of these EcoSocial initiatives. It confirms that social, environmental and economic prosperity can flourish together when guided by ethical values and principles.
Crofter’s membership with the Whole Planet Foundation® Ten Thousand Dollar Fund® is a natural addition to our social efforts, and will provide our consumers the opportunity to join us in supporting a more caring world, spreading goodness with every jar.