The first-ever Fairtrade Indian grapes have been commercially harvested by Univeg Katope UK and are set to arrive in Britain in mid-April.
Fairtrade technical manager David Maris said: “We’ve been working towards this day for five years. It is one of the longest Fairtrade development projects we have undertaken.”
The project began in 2008 when Univeg Katope joined Fairtrade Foundation executive director Harriet Lamb on a visit to the Maharastra region of India.
It has taken four years to bring the grapes to Britain, largely due to the strict legal requirements India has in place.
But Univeg Katope said that time has been used to great effect to improve grape production and gain GlobalGAP certification.
The growers have been guided and supported throughout by Eurofruits who have partnered with Univeg on this development.
