What does sustainability mean to us?
As a producer and distributor of vegan, culinary treasures, we want to be much more than just a source of inspiration for the trade. We are well aware of our social and ecological responsibility for the environment, producers and consumers.
Therefore, our actions are geared towards sustainability from the start, which we at LOTAO see holistically. Sustainability as a multi-pillar model that begins even before our raw materials are cultivated.
The cooperation and the fair, social treatment of our farmers are an important starting point for LOTAO. However, we don't just want to support our farmers socially, ecologically and economically. It is also important to us that we learn to value their raw materials and their knowledge in dialogue with the producers.
The participating farmers were first trained on topics related to the organic and sustainable cultivation of jackfruit and later certified. With a total of 15,000 jackfruit seedlings from organic farming and support during the cultivation and harvesting phase, they were given the best starting conditions to secure their share of the booming market for meat substitutes. The program also included the expansion of the local infrastructure and the construction of refrigeration, storage and packaging facilities in the next largest city of Bangalore.
Ganesh KH is one of the farmers who benefits from this sustainability project in several ways. The qualified farmer from a small village in the state of Karnataka started cultivating his farm organically 15 years ago. He has been a certified organic farmer for 10 years and is now one of over 300 LOTAO jackfruit producers.
"Through the program I learned a lot about new methods of growing and harvesting jackfruit and I have contact with many farmers in the region who think like me," adds the farmer. "In addition, I have planning security and a secure income for my family through the guaranteed purchase of the harvested fruits," says Ganesh KH. Not least through the fair and ethical cooperation with LOTAO, farmers like him are able to create sustainable foundations for future generations.
Can goods with long transport routes be sustainable?
Now the objection may arise that food with such long transport routes can never be sustainable per se. However, we see that our years of commitment and development projects in India are bearing good fruit. We have already been able to achieve several of the UN's 17 sustainability goals from the 2030 Agenda for the farmers in our region, for example
• Improving health conditions
• affordable energy
• of poverty
• Fighting hunger
• decent work
• Environmental protection through resource-saving organic farming
Sustainability in the spirit of LOTAO not only focuses on the environment, the farmers, but also the consumers. Vegan, organic food that is sustainably produced under fair conditions is ultimately good for all of us.
Production of Jackfruit in India
