Blue Skies has won a Queens Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category, for its continuous support of local producers in the developing world.
The company, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is recognised as a leading model for development in Africa.
The Queens Award office said: “Blue Skies Holdings Ltd receives the award for continuous achievement in the provision of fresh-cut fruit, prepared at source, and aimed at maximising the sustainability benefits created for local producers. A supportive approach is used to assist producers in meeting European standards, which serves to enhance the value and commercial appeal of the product in international markets.”
Blue Skies founder and chairman Anthony Pile said: “This is a great honour for Blue Skies, and is recognition of all that we have achieved over the past ten years. All credit must go to everyone who has supported us; our suppliers, our partners, our shareholders, our customers and, of course, our incredibly loyal and dedicated staff.”
Blue Skies continues to play an important role within the food miles debate, and is keen to demonstrate the value of buying fresh produce from the developing world. Pile added: “There are some huge challenges ahead of us, but we must react in a way that won’t compromise the significant progress we have already made. We need progressive solutions that will strengthen our partnerships for generations to come, not regressive initiatives that only serve to harm African development.
“There are some huge challenges ahead of us and there is still more we can do to improve; however, this award is acknowledgment that we are on the right path.”
Blue Skies employs over 2,000 people in Ghana, Egypt, South Africa and Brazil, and its wide range of prepared fruit and juice products are sold as organic, conventional and Fairtrade. It supplies to a wide range of customers, including some of the biggest supermarket chains in the UK, Europe and South Africa.
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