Duas Rodas expands Fair for Life product portfolio, encouraging the fair trade in its supply chain

With this certification, the Brazilian multinational company leading in the manufacture of flavors and ingredients ensures even more transparency in its production chain and helps promote social transformations in rural communities

Fair trade is a driving force for positive and sustainable change, benefiting people, communities and the environment. Reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, Duas Rodas, the Brazilian leader in the manufacture of flavors and ingredients for the food and beverage industry, expands its product portfolio with Fair for Life Certification. This certification is part of an international program for fair trade within supply chains in agriculture, manufacturing and trade.

The company currently has the FFL seal on the following items: yerba mate, acai, guarana and acerola cherry extracts, all organic and in powder form, typical Latin American products with strong appeal in the global market. The Headquarters, located in Jaraguá do Sul (SC), and Duas Rodas Nordeste, in Estância (SE), are the certified manufacturing units for the production of these items in Brazil.

With this certification, Duas Rodas certifies that all the FFL items meet specific environmental management criteria and even ensure full traceability of the raw material used by the company, providing transparency throughout the production chain.

In addition, with each purchase, the partner producers receive an additional amount of 5% that is reversed into social projects. The projects are developed in partnerships with local cooperatives, which through committees with the community, identify the needs of the region.

Duas Rodas is responsible for periodically monitoring the development of these projects and compliance with the conditions defined by the certifier.

In this sense, the program stands out for its wide scope, with control of good practices throughout the supply chains, the accountability of each FFL certified operation to act in a sustainable manner, the strengthening of commercial relations between suppliers and buyers, support for custom development projects and the authenticity of the actions taken.

By integrating this program, Duas Rodas assumes the role of fair-trade partner, ensuring that suppliers have decent working conditions and remuneration, as well as fostering social projects that lead to improvements in people’s lives.

It is worth noting that this global social movement for more responsible production and consumption patterns is an ally of the United Nations for the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda, created by the organization (UN).

“With Fair for Life, the company strengthens its purpose to contribute to social and environmental progress and improve the global food trade for a system beneficial to all parties involved,” says Rosemeri Francener, International Business Director.

Rural communities gain social, environmental and economic returns

The Fair for Life certification is already starting to bear fruit in the communities of producers who supply raw materials to Duas Rodas.

The benefits are diverse, always focused on the needs indicated by the communities themselves, such as the construction of artesian wells, donation of basic food baskets and installation of a sewage treatment network, providing more quality of life to the population, in addition to craft workshops so that families can obtain extra income.

In other cases, farmers organized themselves, partnered with a local cooperative to purchase machinery and produce inputs for the development of the activity.

Learn more about certified products

Acai: This Amazon superfruit is increasingly present in foods, beverages and supplements, meeting the growing demand of consumers for products with functionality and healthiness. Acai is used in categories such as food supplements, functional and mixed beverages, refrigerated desserts, cereal bars, chocolate and food dyes.

Yerba mate: green yerba mate is native to the subtropical regions of South America, with beneficial properties capable of providing distinct flavor to foods and beverages. It acts as a stimulant and energizer, aids in weight control, diuretic activity and has antioxidant properties. Yerba mate is mainly used in supplements, energy drinks and teas.

Guarana: Duas Rodas is one of the world’s leading producers of the extract of this Brazilian fruit. Guarana is rich in methylxanthines, a group of natural compounds such as caffeine, theobromine and theophylline, which are the main cause of the stimulating and energetic effects of guarana seeds. The plant also has a complex matrix of other substances that results in the stimulating and cognitive effect, much appreciated in guarana extracts.

Acerola: Brazil is the world’s largest producer of acerola cherry, a source of 30 times more vitamin C (ascorbic acid) than orange. Vitamin C is recognized for providing several benefits, such as fighting infections, improving the immune system and antioxidant action, among others. It can be applied in food supplements, functional drinks, cereal bars, bakery, cosmetics, meat products and fish.

Purposes of Fair For Life Certification

Fair for Life is a certification program for fair trade in agriculture, manufacturing and trade. It was created in 2006 by Swiss Bio-Foundation in cooperation with IMO Group, then acquired by Ecocert Group in 2014 to meet a specific demand from organic agriculture stakeholders.

In addition to the inherent concept of fair pricing, Fair for Life aims to foster responsible supply chains.

Fair for Life certification is a tool that allows the enhancement and protection of exemplary supply chains, in which stakeholders act responsibly by implementing good economic, social and environmental practices. Following the framework defined by the Fair for Life certification, producers, processors and brand owners can secure their sales and supplies through tools such as long-term contracts that include fixed prices and volumes, establishing a real partnership between them.

About Duas Rodas:

Present in more than 40 countries, Duas Rodas has been active for 97 years in the manufacture of flavors and ingredients for the food and beverage industries in Brazil and worldwide. With more than 10 thousand customers, the company has a portfolio of about 3 thousand items divided into three major markets: Flavors, with aromas, natural extracts, dehydrated, condiments and additives and integrated solutions; Food Service, with ice cream, chocolates, confectionery and baking products, with the Specialitá, Selecta and Mix brands; and Animal Nutrition, with animal nutrition ingredients of the Statera brand. A Brazilian leader in the manufacture of flavors and products for the food and beverage industry, Duas Rodas was founded by German immigrants in Santa Catarina, where its main headquarters still operates today. The company currently has two other factories in Brazil (Sergipe and São Paulo), three in Latin America (Chile, Colombia and Mexico), as well as six research and development centers and an Innovation Center. Sustainability is one of the company’s performance strategies, which has products with international Kosher, Halal, Organic Products and Fair for Life certifications, in addition to FSSC 22000 and SMETA.