FairWild recognised at the 2022 Sustainable Food Awards
July 2022. In a very strong field of international finalists which included the corporate giant Barry Callebaut, the FairWild registered processor Blue Sky Botanics Ltd was announced as runner-up for the 2022 Sustainable Ingredient Award for their FairWild Baobab Fruit Purée. This is the first time that a FairWild-certified product has featured at the prestigious Sustainable Food Awards.
Blue Sky Botanics was chosen, in part, because their Baobab Fruit Purée production line is 100% powered by renewable energy (40% from onsite solar panels and the rest from a renewable energy provider) and the process uses large volumes of clean water which is recycled back into production. However, the judges also wanted to see that the purée’s sustainability credentials spanned the entire supply chain, and that is where FairWild certification played a major role in its selection.
The Baobab fruit raw material used in the purée is wild-harvested by rural communities in Zimbabwe and supplied by Baobab Exports Ltd, who together with leading producers B’Ayoba and EcoProducts form Africa’s longest FairWild certified Baobab operation.
“Not only does FairWild certification ensure that wild plant species are harvested sustainably, independent inspectors also monitor and confirm that local harvesters are treated fairly, which includes being paid a fair market rate for their produce”.
Emily King - FairWild Foundation’s Business Officer
In the parts of Zimbabwe where FairWild certification of Baobab is operating, it is not only helping to halt this destruction but also providing a small but essential seasonal cash income for its poorer rural villagers. By making it more valuable to these communities to protect their surrounding forests than clear them for subsistence agriculture, sustainable wild-harvesting is now a key mechanism through which the country’s precious biodiversity is being preserved. And this approach is proving to be hugely successful in delivering socioeconomic impacts as well.
B’Ayoba’s Baobab sourcing operation has over 4,500 registered wild-harvesters on their books, each supporting an average of 5 other household members. Which means that the lives of an estimated 27,000 people in poor and marginalised areas of rural Zimbabwe are being positively impacted.
“Sourcing responsibly, protecting the environment and supporting biodiversity are all central to our approach and philosophy. But just because a product is wild-harvested, does not necessarily mean that it is aligned with these goals. That’s why the verification and monitoring programs performed byunder FairWildFairWild certification are so important. They provide us and our customers with the absolute certainty that our wild-harvested raw material is being produced sustainably and ethically.”
Caroline Brevitt - Blue Sky Botanic’s Managing Director
Baobab Fruit Purée’s selection as runner-up at the 2022 Sustainable Food Awards could be an indication that the food and beverage industries are finally waking up to FairWild certified products and the ethical and sustainable credentials that they have to offer.