SANTA CRUZ, CA - Pledging to support those in need is one of the most honorable things we can do as fresh produce advocates. Awe Sum Organics is one leader that continues to make a difference through its operations, recently pledging to support the Homeless Garden Project’s new expanded farm just above Santa Cruz, California, which provides education and transitional jobs in organic agriculture. Additionally, Awe Sum’s Sociedad Agrícola Saturno farms has been purchasing land from families in Peru and now touts 150 hectares (370 acres) of organic grape production at Sol Sol Farm.
“Awe Sum Organics is proud to offer organic and Fair Trade USA Certified fruit because we feel it’s important to give back to the local communities that are involved in growing, harvesting, packing, and shipping our Awe Sum Organic fruit. So far this year, through the sale of our Awe Sum Organic and Fair Trade Certified fruit over $250,000 has been collected by Awe Sum Organics to be distributed back to the local communities where our organic fruit is produced,” said David Posner, President, CEO, and Founder.
The trainees in the Homeless Garden Project program learn hands-on job skills needed to grow organic crops and create value-added products, receive other life and job skill training in subjects such as digital and financial literacy, are offered counseling support, and much more. Crops harvested at Homeless Garden Project will be sold at the Awe Sum Organics-sponsored Farm Stand, as well as donated to community members in need via local nonprofits through the Feed Two Birds program.
In the 1980s, the Peruvian government distributed plots of land to its citizens in an effort to restructure wealth, according to a press release. Due to a lack of those farms’ profitability, Awe Sum’s Saturno farms began purchasing land from each individual family in the Sol Sol community and now employs community members in the field and the packing house.
The Fair for Life premiums that Awe Sum Organics has collected from the sales of these organic grapes has raised money for building roads, a church, infrastructure such as running water, as well as the designing and building of a preschool, elementary school, and high school.
While in late 2019, Awe Sum Organics transitioned its social compliance program from Fair For Life to Fair Trade USA, it is now well positioned to continue supporting Sol Sol through both the increased sales of organic grapes from Peru and continued collection of Fair Trade premiums.
Hats off to Awe Sum Organics which is giving back to communities both locally and globally.
