DIVEMEX - Divemex Pimientos Selectos

As the name indicates, Divemex, or Divemex Pimientos Selectos’, primary product is bell peppers, but they also produce tomatoes and cucumbers. Their products are grown in a variety of locations in greenhouses in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Etzatlan and Jalisco, Mexico. One of Divemex's biggest premium projects is a scholarship fund for needy children. All though basic education is free in Mexico, associated costs for transportation, uniforms and books prevent many of the poorest children from being able to advance in school. Impoverished children in the region are often members of families who work in agriculture. The average agricultural worker in northern Mexico makes an estimated $USD13 a day, and although this is twice the minimum wage in Mexico, the availability of work is not dependable and farmers often go through long periods of time without work. Divemex is investing Fair Trade premiums first to improve education. The organization became North America’s first provider of Fair Trade Certified™ peppers, attaining the certification for 70 hectares of greenhouses in January 2011.