Sustainability
WATER SAVING
We are aware that natural resources are limited; therefore, we manage them efficiently. We do important investments in technology to reduce water consumption, such as:
• Capacitance probes, which allow us to determine the precise moment and water amount required by the plants.
• Centralized/intelligent system that automatically turns on/off the water wells and irrigation systems.
• Plastic covers on the soil and crops, allowing us to maintain greater soil moisture and to reduce the evapotranspiration of plants.
We got the blue certificate which is a recognition granted by the National Water Authority in association with the government of Switzerland and with the NGO called “Agua Limpia”. We are the first agro-exporter of grape cultivation that manages to reduce The water footprint in Peru which shows responsible and efficient management of water in our company
PESTICIDE MANAGEMENT
We consistently care about using pesticides efficiently in order to guarantee the food safety of our products. In order to achieve this goal, we have implemented the following tools:
• Research & Develop Department, which assess the efficiency of conventional pesticides and the effectiveness of biological pesticides.
• Biomonitoring Laboratory where we develop pest and disease control programs by using beneficial insects.
• Pest monitoring software with daily reports and alerts, in case the defined thresholds for each pest are exceeded.
• Constant training to our team responsible for the management and use of pesticides.
• Georeferenced monitoring of tractors and doses to be applied per hectare.
• Join work/research done with our suppliers and laboratories to use the minimum doses necessary to achieve our pest and disease control objectives.
ENVIRONMENTAL CARE
It is very important to us the preservation and protection of the environment. We greatly depend on it to develop a sustainable operation in due course. Some implemented actions to preserve the environment are:
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. All our tractors are TIER 3 (low emission of polluting gases). Additionally, we use LED lights in our processing plants and most of the cooling system is based on Glycol.
• Sorting of garbage, recycling techniques and afforestation.
• Training workshops to create awareness on employees and community about the importance of environmental care.
• Reduction of food waste, by searching industrialization alternatives for those products not suitable for sale as fresh fruit.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Companies are built and based on their people and the teams they are part of. This is why at Don Ricardo we are committed to diversity, since we believe that the success of teams is driven by the interaction of people from different backgrounds, gender, culture and skills. Respect is one of our values. There is nothing more important than to respect the differences; by doing this, we reach stronger consensus.
Everyone’s opinion matters in Don Ricardo!
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
We consider that people are the most important asset of our company. It is important for us that their needs and those of their families are covered and that they are able to grow based on their interests. Likewise, we seek to contribute towards the development of the local community through our Corporate Social Responsibility program. The program is based on five areas: Education, Environment, Health, Sports and Family Strengthening. The program is led by a specialized team who is 100% focused on developing activities in these five areas.
We have the SMETA certification, which focus on the social aspects within Don Ricardo. and Fair For Life certification, which scope goes beyond Don Ricardo and also involves the local community.