Well-known fresh produce recruiter Max MacGillivray is set for anepic trip across Europe and Africa in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of fruit and veg and where it comes from.
Starting in November 2016, MacGillivray along with dairy industry man Chris Payne and adventure junkie Gareth Jones will motorbike their way from Bury St Edmunds all the way to Cape Town, South Africa, visiting a number of fruit and veg growers along the way.
They plan to chronicle their story - and the story of the growers - to help raise awareness of how fruit and veg gets from where it is grown, to British shop shelves.
The Great Fruit Adventure was the brainchild of fruit industry veteran MacGillivray,who was dismayed when he discovered six out of 10 UK children had no idea where the fruit and veg they eat comes from.
In response, he came up with the idea of the trip to help educate UK children, tackle the nation’s ignorance and teach them that fruit doesn’t just grow on trees (well, not all of it!).
MacGillivray said: “Fresh Produce is my lifelong passion and I’ve put my heart and soul into the industry, so I was dismayed to read that six out of 10 British children had no idea where the fruit and veg they eat comes from. Something had to be done.
“That’s where the idea of the Great Fruit Adventure came from.I want to tell the story of the fantastic places where our fruit and veg is grown and the people who grow it to help young people understand that it doesn’t just magically appear on the supermarket shelves.
“It’s going to be an epic and challenging journey. I had ridden a motorbike on farms in the UK and Australia but never gained my bike licence. So passed my test last year as part of the planning for our trip and been intensively training ever since!”
He added: “What we now need is for people to support us, help us to organise and plan the campaign and allow us to do the work to bring the message to schools when we get back.”
The trio will set off from London at the start of November, travelling via Spain, north-west Africa, and then heading down the eastern side of the continent onto South Africa itself, before finally arriving in Cape Town in late February 2017.
Along the way they will visit the likes of key citrus growers in Span, the largest grower of sweetcorn in Senegal, a fruit growing business in Ghana that supplies Sainsbury’s and Waitrose with prepared fruit products, flower growers in Ethiopia and Mozambique, and many more.
When they return, the team will visit schools and colleges and attend events across the country to tell their story and spread the word about their journey - and the journey that fruit and veg goes through every day to find its way on to our plates.
To get involved, or to support or sponsor the project, email info@thegreatfruitadventure.com or visit the website.
The Great Fruit Adventure is a non-profit campaign and all proceeds raised after the cost of the trip will go to a select number of Africa-related nominated charities.
