A new community investment program, funded by European consumers of Costa Rican bananas, aims to benefit families in the Limón region. In its first stage, the program will assist 200 families and is expected to expand to banana-growing communities in both the Caribbean and northern areas of Costa Rica soon.

This initiative turns the purchases of Costa Rican bananas by European consumers into infrastructure and community projects that enhance the lives of people in these banana-growing areas. One of the program's first achievements is the opening of a new multipurpose court at Santa Marta School in Batán de Matina. This facility will provide students with a safe, accessible, and inclusive space for sports and recreational activities. The court features areas for soccer, basketball, and volleyball, as well as children's play areas, a picnic area, and accessible facilities for individuals with disabilities.

The project was made possible through an investment of approximately $124,000 from Fyffes through its new consumer brand, Trudy's. It launched in the European market at the end of 2024 under the slogan "Good Fruit, Doing Good," Trudy aims to improve the quality of life in the communities where its products are grown by reinvesting a portion of each fruit sale back into these communities.

The construction of the multipurpose court at Santa Marta School marks the beginning of a broader community development project funded by Trudy's. This project aims to improve education, nutrition, and gender equity in several banana-growing communities across Costa Rica. It will include skills development workshops, the establishment of family and community gardens, and the promotion of local microenterprises, among other initiatives.

This program will be implemented in collaboration with the humanitarian organisation CARE International. It will initially support over 200 families in Limón, many of whom live near the Guaria farm operated by Fyffes.

"We created Trudy's with a clear purpose: every exported fruit should contribute to the welfare of the communities where it is grown. Today, this vision has become a reality with the establishment of a safe and inclusive space for the children of Santa Marta to play, learn, and grow," stated Pierre Terranova, Fyffes' Corporate Affairs Coordinator, during the inauguration of the multipurpose court at Santa Marta School.