An emerging Australian frozen fruit supplier says being green wasn't enough for them, so they went one step further and committed to creating certified sustainable products.

Ra Food produces the only Rainforest Alliance ™ certified frozen fruits for Australia and New Zealand. Its co-owner, Shane Bukovinsky, says its products have become an innovation in the category, ensuring that its production network protects biodiversity and natural resources, offering fair and safe conditions to workers and their communities.

“In effect, we are trying to fill that gap between the conventional (non-organic) products and the organic category,” he says. “Organic certification really just gives consumers confidence that no chemicals are used, but not necessarily confidence about what happens in terms of fair trade, labor compensation, soil regenerative practices, and destination. of funds to the long-term preservation and biodiversity of wildlife. All these elements are included in the sustainability certification”.

The company, in Kurmond, near Sydney, works with four frozen products: blueberries, raspberries, mangoes and different berries. It opened in 2019 and supplies the retailers independent nationwide. Bukovinsky says the Rainforest Alliance specializes in certifying the sustainability of its farms. Ra Food sources fruit from Chile, Peru, Eastern Europe and Mexico, but explains that it is not feasible to source fruit domestically at this time.

“Unfortunately, Australian-produced frozen fruit is particularly expensive at the moment; we hope that will change in the future,” says Bukovinsky. “Historically, it has been too expensive for regular consumers and, in fact, more expensive than organic products mainly due to the fragmented nature of the supply chain: relatively small farms that focus mostly on the fresh market and not on the industrial or frozen markets. In addition, the automated freezing equipment created in other countries, which focuses on frozen fruit, is in a much better position to be able to work in a more profitable way that allows us to sell the fruit at prices more similar to those of conventional fruit."

According to Bukovinsky, the production of frozen foods is not only sustainable in the production area. It explains that its products are packaged in recyclable and reusable packaging; The trays are made of polyethylene and can be recycled, but they are sturdy with a resealable lid that can be used for multiple uses before disposal. He explains that his frozen fruit has a significant premium over conventional products.

"Our prices are lower than those of organic frozen fruit, so we are receiving a good reception from consumers in the retailers", it states. “One of the challenges we face is to inform consumers so that they understand the differences between conventional, organic and certified sustainable products. We have spent several years on social networks educating consumers about these differences, helping them understand why we have chosen to create a product in that way and the benefits for producers and farmers of working sustainably.

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization that operates in more than 70 countries and works with farmers on the front lines. Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ certification involves conducting periodic audits , of agricultural practices. Bukovinsky admits that they considered starting the sustainability certification path alone, but chose to partner with the global organization because of their objectivity and expertise in that field.

“We've been sourcing fruit and vegetables from around the world for almost 20 years, traveling through developing countries, and we saw the need to do things differently,” Bukovinsky continues. “We've also watched the frozen food category evolve over the years, not just from a supply and pricing standpoint, but also from what happens on the farm. We believe that things should be done sustainably at all levels of the supply chain. There are some certifiers that are in charge of this type of certification, but they do not have an impact on the consumer. Therefore, having your name and your certificate would not mean as much to a consumer as it does to multinational food companies. So out of the choices we had, the Rainforest Alliance seemed pretty prominent to us because they've been doing that for quite some time, working with coffee suppliers, etc., and their logo is recognized by consumers.”

Bukovinsky adds that “Rå” is a Danish word meaning “raw” (natural), which he says is very appropriate, since his products are 100% fruit and sustainable.