Waitrose hosted a VIP reception this week when Prime Ministers from three Caribbean Islands visited a store to see how bananas from their islands end their journey on Waitrose shelves.

Prime Minister of St Lucia Dr Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsavelsand and Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerritt visited the shop in Wokingham, Berkshire, accompanied by Waitrose’s head of buying of fruit, vegetables and horticulture John Foley.

Foley said: “We are proud to host the visit of such honorary guests and look forward to showing them the last leg of the journey for their bananas from the farms and into the hands of the customer.”

The visit is also a celebration of the Waitrose Windward Grower Group, which promotes ethical growing practices and in return, produces high quality fruit for Waitrose customers.

In the Windward islands of St Lucia and St Vincent Waitrose has created, in conjunction with WIBDECO - the organisation responsible for marketing of Windward bananas - a grower group called the Waitrose Windward grower group.

The group is dedicated to the supply of quality, fully traceable bananas to Waitrose in conditions whereby the growers in the group can increase their yields in a sustainable way, therefore improving their standard of living and helping to secure the future of the Windward banana industry.

The group comprises 105 independent growers, 101 in St Lucia and four in St Vincent.

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