Napoleon Bonaparte reportedly once described Britain as “a nation of shopkeepers”. This was the French emperor expressing his admiration at the way the British had mastered commerce. And while the UK still leads the way in numerous fields, trade has become about more than merely making money.
Leading foodservice banana supplier JN Fox & Sons is one such example of this mindset shift. Founded by the father and grandfather of six people currently involved in the business, JN Fox will be recognised in the industry for supplying the majority of the UK’s biggest foodservice firms for nearly two decades.
What might be less well-known is its ambitious new plans for sourcing a large number of its products. The business plans to build on a tie-up it already has with the EARTH University in Costa Rica, and is looking into increasing its banana supply from the education institution’s plantations to a significant proportion of its overall banana supply next year.
Stephen Fox, a director at JN Fox, says: “We’ve had fruit from them for well over a year now, and we’re actively participating in promoting EARTH, and will be fundraising on their behalf. We’ve said to them we’re going to promote their initiative in the UK.”
EARTH University, which directly only supplies its Rainforest Alliance-certified bananas to JN Fox in the UK, is a non-profit organisation that takes on students from 39 countries, including Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, to study agricultural science and national resource management degrees, with the aim being that they then take the skills they have learned back to their own communities, and put them into practice there.
The EARTH University logo, which is already starting to appear on JN Fox boxes, may become something consumers get to see in future too, as the business is contemplating speaking to a number of its foodservice customers about its EARTH University link.
Fox says there is also a possibility that the business could promote the EARTH University story to retailers; potentially in line with another campus opening in Ecuador.
JN Fox remains focused on supplying new and current foodservice customers, though, as Stephen Fox notes: “Over the years, we’ve stayed clear of the big supermarkets, and focused more on foodservice, as that is our niche, with the variety of different packs, different sizes and different colourations they want. So we look at the more difficult orders to do, and then to try and produce a consistent product.
“We look at different ways we can add value. It’s attention to detail, and being really proactive with the customers. If we get them to sell more bananas, it benefits us.”
As many suppliers evolved with the rise of the supermarkets, JN Fox grew with the rise of foodservice: “With the decline of greengrocers in the 1980s, we had to look around,” Fox says. “We started to trial packs with some of the larger foodservice companies, and had a fantastic response, and thereafter it was through recommendation that the business grew.” Looking ahead, Fox notes that alongside the EARTH University targets, he would also like to develop the business’ ripening service.
To return to Napoleon, the French emperor also once allegedly said: “Nothing is more difficult and therefore more precious than to be able to decide.” The altruistic route JN Fox wants to take has been determined, and could become a model other fresh produce businesses look to follow.
Stephen Fox on foodservice and future challenges
“With the standards that are now requested, the foodservice industry is more demanding these days. Some of the big foodservice companies have really expanded in the last decade, and there’s a bigger variety of packs we do now than we ever did. The technical side is more demanding too, and the information customers now need, the growing conditions and stuff for their customers, that has really come on recently.”
“I can’t see Panama disease affecting us in the near future. They’ve got other varieties to move to. This one is worrying as there doesn’t seem to be anything to stop it – it’s moved about the world. A lot of research is being done at EARTH University, as well as being done all around the world, so hopefully it’ll impact us less. They are looking at different varieties at EARTH, and when we went there, we looked at this tree, and they were growing a square banana. It’s not for commercial use, but they’d managed to grow one.”
