farmer innovation fund

funding the farming of the future

We take fruit and veg. Blend it, juice it, squash it so people can enjoy fruit & veg in all its wonderful forms. The thing about fruit & veg is that they make up the biggest chunk of our carbon footprint - more than 50% of our total emissions. That comes from growing, squashing and getting them to our Blender and into our little bottles.

We want to reduce the carbon footprint of our drinks as much as possible.

We’re doing all sorts of things to help us get there, including the Farmer Innovation Fund we launched back in 2021. It’s an annual pot of money that is used to help farmers improve biodiversity and livelihoods while capturing carbon at the same time.

In 2024, we invested even more into our Farmer Innovation Fund.

We put ten times more money into the pot – up to £1m. The more money we put in, the more impact we hope to see.

The Fund supports our priority fruit & veg suppliers who are looking to transition to more regenerative farming practises which help to protect and improve soil health, biodiversity, climate and water resources.

Transitioning to more regenerative farming practices isn't the same for every farm. It depends on where the farm is, what they grow, and other factors. Understanding where the emissions come from is the first step to assessing what’s the best thing to do. We’re excited to continue this work with our suppliers, and we hope more will join us as we work together to take greater steps in decarbonising our supply chain.

Agraria Manchegas: grape expectations

This is Gonzalo, the CEO of Agrarias Manchegas, and his business consultant, Emilia. The Spanish farm has supplied grape juice to innocent for years, and regenerative farming practices have always been important to Gonzalo and his family. Now the Farmer Innovation Fund is helping them to progress this work. They used their funding to buy solar panels to power their irrigation system, machinery (like a mulcher) equipment (like a monitoring station), and a fancy-multispectral and spraying drone duo. The money meant they could buy this handy stuff sooner and all at the same time, and now it’s working together as an ecosystem to help support their regenerative farming practices.

Fruitlight: giving pineapple farms a natural boost

Through the Farmer Innovation Fund, we're supporting Frutilight in Costa Rica to turn organic materials into natural fertilisers, known as biols, that help support healthy pineapple production. As fertiliser costs continue to rise, the project is exploring practical ways to make farms less reliant on external inputs while supporting more circular farming practices.

The team has already made strong progress, training farm teams in bioproduct preparation and developing 14 different biofertiliser and biostimulant formulations. These natural products have been successfully tested on a small scale and are now being trialled under real farming conditions to understand their impact on plant growth, crop development and farm productivity.

Alongside these field trials, Frutilight is developing a dedicated biofactory to produce biols at a larger scale. While the design and construction of the facility continue, existing farm infrastructure is already being used to produce and test formulations, helping the team refine production methods and prepare for future expansion.

By combining farmer training, innovation and circular economy principles, the project is helping farmers make better use of resources already available locally, building a more resilient approach to pineapple production in Costa Rica.

SVZ: smarter irrigation for strawberry production in Spain

Growing strawberries is becoming more challenging as summers get hotter and water becomes harder to come by. Through the Farmer Innovation Fund, we're supporting strawberry growers in southern Spain to use water more efficiently, helping them grow great fruit while taking care of this valuable resource.

Using information from soil sensors, weather forecasts and satellite imagery, farmers can better understand exactly when their crops need water. This helps them give plants the right amount at the right time, avoiding waste and keeping strawberry plants healthy.

So far, the results have been encouraging. Earlier trials showed water savings up to 25% and a reduction in fertilizer use of around 15%. Following this success, the project is now being expanded to more strawberry farms to help more growers benefit from the technology.

By using water and nutrients more precisely, farmers can reduce their environmental impact while continuing to grow high-quality strawberries. These improvements can also help lower greenhouse gas emissions and make farms more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Doehler: biodiversity above and below ground in Polish apple orchards

Healthy apple orchards depend on thriving ecosystems. Through the Farmer Innovation Fund we are supporting projects in Poland that help strengthen biodiversity both above and below the ground.

Across apple-growing regions in Poland, farmers are creating habitats for pollinators through flower strips, wild bee hotels and innovative hive monitoring technology that helps improve understanding of bee health. The project also brings together farmers, beekeepers and local communities through education and knowledge-sharing activities.

At the same time, a second project is investigating the soil microbiome, the community of microorganisms that helps keep orchards healthy and productive. Through soil health assessments, microbiome analysis and the use of practices such as cover crops, farmers will gain a better understanding of how healthy soils can support resilient orchards and high-quality fruit.

Together, these projects are helping growers better understand the natural systems that support apple production, building knowledge that can benefit farmers, biodiversity and the long-term sustainability of our apple supply chain.