Grown using only rainwater, Eosta’s innovative Organic Raingrown® avocados save more than 1.4 billion liters of water every year in regions where the resource is in short supply, proving that there is a viable alternative to relying on scarce drinking and sanitary water.
Substantial volumes began to arrive in the Port of Rotterdam in March, with retailers and consumers set to benefit from improved quality fruit following Eosta’s diligent work with partner-growers to refine cultivation and handling practices.
Despite experiencing some agronomic challenges in 2025, production from Kenya for 2026 is expected to be in line with 2025 both in terms of volumes and export quality. Meanwhile, Eosta is continuing to make advances in Tanzania in terms of improving field management and handling practices at a farm level.
Equally important is the social capital being delivered to Kenyan growers through the Fairtrade program which Eosta started in collaboration with local partner Mavuno. Following successful work with the initiative, 50 additional growers are working towards Fairtrade certification, with a view to increasing overall volumes this year. At the same time, work is being carried out to ensure arrival quality and further professionalize ripeness control.
One of the key benefits of the Fairtrade premium in Kenya is that it has enabled small-scale organic avocado producers to invest in everything from new water filtration plants to the purchase of farm animals.
Eosta Product Manager, Jessica de Freitas, said: “Eosta began receiving new-season Organic Raingrown Avocados from Tanzania and Kenya in March. Our growers have been working very hard to improve their avocado production methods, including the pre- and post- harvest handling of the fruit. Thanks to this work, we have really good availability this season.
But behind all of this, there is a very inspiring story about the difference that producing avocados is making to people’s lives in terms of improving their social situations. For example, a Living Wage is being received by all Organic Raingrown Avocado packhouse workers in Kenya.
Also in Kenya, for every case of organic avocados sold, Fairtrade-certified growers receive a premium thanks to the Fairtrade via Eosta initiative. Importantly, even with this premium, these Fairtrade-certified avocados remain competitively priced, mainly due to relatively lower production and living costs in Kenya, combined with favourable growing conditions compared to other origins.
The use of this premium is collectively decided by the growers, ensuring it benefits the wider community. It can be invested in social programs, such as installing filtration facilities to ensure safe drinking water for local communities. Other, smaller growers have used the premium to buy goats, providing added value for themselves and their families.”
Coping with conflict
Of course, growers in East Africa are not immune to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East with many exporters faced with a choice of going through the Suez Canal or taking the longer route round the Cape of Good Hope. Another concern was the regional agronomic challenges experienced in Kenya in 2025, which resulted in smaller volumes. However, the situation has since stabilized.
De Freitas added: “Although there is lower availability of fruit in general from Kenya because of these agronomic challenges, Eosta has worked hard with our growers in the country to make sure we still receive the anticipated volumes, which should be very similar to those received in 2025.”
About Eosta
Eosta – with Nature & More as transparency brand – was established in 1990 and over the past 35 years has developed into a leading European distributor of organic fruit and
vegetables. The company is known for its sustainability campaigns such as The True Cost of Food, Natural Branding, Living Wage and Save Our Soils.
Eosta’s Organic Raingrown Avocado won the inaugural True Price Award in 2025, a prize that has been created to highlight fair pricing and transparency in fresh produce supply chains. It was also awarded Bioproduct of the Year 2025 in The Netherlands, and took third place at the 2025 Fruit Logistica Innovation Awards.
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Press pictures & Contact
You can find the presspictures here.
Media contact
Jeanine Somefun-Wolthuis
E: jeanine.somefun-wolthuis@eosta.com
M: +31 (0) 6 39 31 82 17
