Perfect match: Waitrose Foundation and flowers grown in Kenya (Image: Waitrose )
These are the blooms that give back because this year all the Valentine’s Day bouquets sold by feature flowers grown and supplied through its Foundation farms in Kenya.
With shoppers looking for more thoughtful choices these days, it’s a meaningful love match displaying the work of the Foundation which improves livelihoods and over the past 20 years has invested £19 million. Customers’ purchases enable the delivery of over 2,000 community-led projects across 10 countries in Africa, as well as one farm in Costa Rica. In 2023, Waitrose Foundation projects reached over 166,000 farmers, workers and and communities.
Helping communiities bloom: hard working flower grower (Image: Eleanor Church Waitrose Foundation )
The retail chain’s flower farms have been producing since 2009. The varieties include roses, spray carnations and lisianthus, part of gentian family known as a rose without thorns and celebrated for its bold, elegant look.
The Foundation supports 8,000 workers across five sites in Kenya and Tanzania. Each year they together bring in some £700,000, a funds boost that has helped deliver more than 115 projects in Kenya. The majority are focused on education, healthcare and microloans helping workers become more financially independent. Along with daily necessities for them, such as new solar lamps (to save on energy costs) and gas stoves (to avoid breathing in toxic fumes and saving time and money on sourcing firewood), the Foundation is also delivering climate resilience programmes.
Some aspects are in partnership with the run by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office,. This aims to support farmers and workers to better adapt to climate change, diversify their incomes, provide water security to flower farm communities and enhance women’s leadership in climate smart agriculture.
Beautiful growth: woman flower grower helping her community (Image: Jemima Jewell)
Charlotte Di Cello, Waitrose commercial director and chair of the Waitrose Foundation Global Board, said: “No other UK supermarket can boast having a dedicated initiative for its workers like the Waitrose Foundation – it’s unique and sector-leading in its way of giving back to the vital people who supply some of our everyday groceries. By investing two per cent of sales back into the communities where we source our fruit, vegetables and flowers, we’re able to support vital projects like maternity clinics, childcare facilities and schools. We’ve seen first-hand the incredible impact these initiatives have, creating a brighter future for families.”
Also good to know: when you buy any labelled product as well as funds being dedicated to improve livelihoods, the projects are chosen by the workers themselves. Waitrose is the only supermarket with a dedicated worker-led supply chain programme.