Belgian importer Special Fruit today announced that it is working to introduce a number of its BestChoice range of products under the Fairtrade label.
Products are reportedly set to include beans, snowpeas, sugarsnaps and lychees.
The first boatload of lychees from Madagascar is currently in transit and is expected to arrive at Zeebrugge on 17 December.
From week 52, snowpeas will be arriving by boat from Guatemala, at a volume of 5 tonnes per week.
Bobby beans (0.5 tonnes a week) and sugarsnap peas (2 tonnes a week) are also available from Guatemala by air on a special order basis.
In January, Special Fruit expects to add Peruvian mangoes to the range under the Fairtrade label, with a production capacity of 100,000 4kg cartons.
Special Fruit directors François and Patrick Maes explained the company's decision to choose Fairtrade: 'We are convinced that corporate social responsibility and sustainable entrepreneurship will play an increasingly important role in economic development. If, like Special Fruit, you operate globally then you cannot afford to only focus on prosperity in your own region. It is in our interests to ensure that our growers also benefit.
'We feel that contributing to Fairtrade in our business is a challenge for our organisation. We realise that there is still a long way to go, but in recent years we have already made some efforts to develop Fairtrade products. It is clear that this requires a lot of preparation, but we are committed to continue. We will keep working on expanding our range under the Fairtrade label.'
