The economic crisis may have dented consumer confidence, but one major fruit importer-marketer believes there is still “real potential” to develop the market for Fairtrade bananas in Europe.
According to France-based Compagnie Fruitière Group, Fairtrade is becoming increasingly prominent in consumer minds and buying behaviour, prompting retailers to invest in stronger ethical-trading offerings.
“We see that there is real potential for Banana fairtrade market share to grow in the UK and across Europe,” said a spokesperson for Compagnie Fruitière subsidiary Dole Fresh UK.
“This has recently been substantiated with another retailer, The Co-operative, moving all of its bananas to 100 per cent Fairtrade following in the footsteps of Sainsburys and Waitrose.”
Compagnie Fruitière itself recently announced that it had achieved Fair Trade certification for its Ghana banana plantations, which the spokesperson said would enable the company to provide another source of ethically-traded fruit for its customers.
To communicate this development to both clients and end consumers, she added that Compagnie Fruitière had developed a Europe-wide communications campaign that will focus on highlighting its work.
