RIO RICO, AZ – Grower Alliance has been building its name and reputation as a top grower and distributor of Mexican produce items since its founding in 2007. Now, the company has another badge of honor to display, as it just received its Fair Trade certification.

Michelle Ramirez-Jacobson told The Produce News in early November that Grower Alliance had just received the certification that is awarded to companies that meet various criteria with regard to how workers are paid and treated. And while it is a notable achievement, Ramirez-Jacobson said the company did not have to do much differently to earn the certification.

“We have always tried to be aware of how our workers are treated,” she said. “We have our own vetting process, and we have been doing that for a while, but now we have the certification to prove it.”

Aside from treating its workers well, Ramirez-Jacobson said Grower Alliance embraces the concept of being a good steward of the land, and that is something that runs all the way through the company, from the ownership level down to the farm workers.

“As a company, our heart has always been in the right place,” she said. “We’ve always been socially responsible, and we like to grow with a clear conscience. We like to see what goes into the ground, and our workers are invested in that as well, reporting back to us frequently.”

Ramirez-Jacobson said that philosophy also extends to the packaging side of the business, and Grower Alliance has been working with different packaging providers to explore more environmentally friendly packaging options.

“We are seeing the younger generation focused on ‘greener’ packaging solutions, and to meet that demand we are seeking out more biodegradable materials, like compostable sleeves,” she said. “We are very conscious of the footprint we leave.”

Grower Alliance is also looking to increase its organic product lines as a result of higher demand from its customers.

“We have been putting more emphasis on developing our organic offerings,” said Ramirez-Jacobson. “It’s a generational thing, with people wanting to know more about their food and where it comes from. We have some outstanding growers, some of whom have been with us from the very beginning, and they are doing a great job, under the guidance of one of our owners, Luis Caballero. Luis is in the fields every day making sure the plants are healthy. He even makes his own recipes for plant food, so we know that what goes into them is only the best.”

Ramirez-Jacobson said Grower Alliance is entering its first year with a strawberry deal. “These are being grown by one of our top growers, who is a close family friend of the company owners,” she said.

Grower Alliance has high expectations for the new strawberry deal, according to Ramirez-Jacobson, who said early testing has revealed high Brix levels in the fruit. 

“We look forward to adding the strawberries to our product line, and we are confident that, like our other products, they will be well received by our customers,” she said.

Photo: Michelle Ramirez-Jacobson