Stars in their Eyes

STARS IN THEIR EYES

Stars in their Eyes is the formal vehicle in terms of corporate social responsibility projects which are created, implemented and managed by Cool Fresh International BV.

The 'Stichting Stars in their Eyes' is a registered legal entity in the Netherlands.

In South Africa, the 'Stars in their Eyes Foundation' is also a registered legal entity, and in addition it has been awarded a formal accreditation as NPO - Non Profit Organisation.  

COOL FRESH INTERNATIONAL

AgroCap Invest - our global agribusiness group - is specialized in importing fruits and vegetables from Asia, Southern Africa and South America. We market our fresh produce products under the brand names Freedom Fruit, BonSweet, BonJus, BonChi and Stars in their Eyes.

Our group has its roots way back in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in the 1950's. Today, our head quarters are in Ridderkerk, the Netherlands.

Cool Fresh International's involvement in 'formal' corporate social responsibility stretches back to 2003, when the company decided to embark on a strategy which would ensure that it could make a sustainable contribution to society. With the creation of the Freedom Fruit brand in 2003, Cool Fresh International took the first step in what would later become the 'Doing good by buying right' campaign. This continues to be the catalyst and vision for Cool Fresh International's commitment to corporate social responsibility which works.

We embrace corporate social responsibility in the broadest sense, proof of which can be found in the fact that the CSR Performance Ladder certification was awarded. With this we became the first fresh produce company in Europe with such a certification.

The CSR Performance Ladder certification means that we have a firm grip on all CSR issues. Not only do we manage our core responsibilities in terms of our main stakeholders such as employees, growers and clients professionally, we also invest heavily in projects which are of benefit to the ‘poorest of the poor’. The secret lies in our approach of ‘keeping it simple’, and inspiring our supply chain partners to collaborate with us. 

APPROACH

In 2005 Cool Fresh International realized that the in order to create structural change in disadvantaged communities, one would need to move away from the traditional ‘relief aid’, and rather focus on ‘local solutions to local problems’.

The strategy which we have implemented is very clear: To create opportunities for personal development and social cohesion within worldwide disadvantaged communities on a long term basis, by developing powerful community leaders who can take charge!

We do not allow ourselves to be limited to one project or one modus operandi. In some instances we use sport as catalyst, in others we provide support to educational institutions to create more opportunities for learners, and in yet others we use our commercial knowledge to train upcoming growers.

All over the world we work with unique individuals.  People who are completely committed to their own communities, and who – through training – can be trained to find ways in which they can create linkages between our business and their communities. The focus is always on creating a positive impact on community development.

The bottom line is that we believe that we - as global fresh produce traders - can play a leading role in taking corporate social responsibility to a higher level.

Not only do we supply products which represent health and goodness, we also come into contact with many different population groups, some of which suffer from poverty, inequality and limited possibilities for development.

From this perspective, ploughing back into the countries with which we conduct business is not an option, it is our responsibility!