Innocent Drinks announces recipients of £1m regen-ag fund

A spokesperson for innocent Drinks said: “As a business passionate about bringing the goodness of fruit and veg to people, innocent has granted funding to suppliers across Europe and South America, growing ten unique ingredients. Their projects address key agricultural challenges, including soil health, water efficiency, biodiversity, crop resilience, and carbon reduction.” 

This is the second year of innocent’s enhanced Farmer Innovation Fund, which makes a grant pot of up to £1 million available for projects that support the transition to more regenerative agriculture practices.  

With over half of innocent’s carbon footprint coming from its ingredients, investing in innovative farming practices will be key to supply chain decarbonisation, the company explained. 

2025 Farmer Innovation Fund (FiF) winners 

Six of this year’s recipients are previous winners of the Farmer Innovation Fund, representing innocent’s commitment to invest in long-term partnerships that deliver tangible outcomes. 

Time 4 Bee (Doehler Foundation), apple supplier, Poland: As a FiF winner in 2022 and 2024, Time 4 Bee will launch a project focused on the regeneration of soil health in apple orchards through rhizosphere microbiome research. Key activities include microbiological soil testing, farmer training, and piloting microbiome-supportive practices to reduce inputs and improve yields. 

Pixley Berries, blackcurrant supplier, United Kingdom: As a 2023 and 2024 FiF winner, Pixley Berries aims to continue their work to enhance soil and plant health on their blackcurrant farm through trials of biostimulants, microbial soil amendments, and innovative nutrient delivery technologies like R-Leaf. 

Anna Ralph at Pixley Berries commented: “Winning for the third consecutive year gives us the opportunity to build on what we’ve learned and push boundaries even further. This new funding will allow us to continue to trial biostimulants across more varieties, integrating probiotics and exploring carbon-free nitrogen technologies like R-Leaf—all while using state-of-the-art soil sensors to guide our work. It’s about creating a resilient and responsible agronomy for the future, not just for blackcurrants but across crops. Regenerative farming is still a learning curve, but we’re committed to finding practical, climate-smart solutions that deliver real results.” 

GNT Group, growing and extracting natural colour from carrots and pumpkins, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany: As a 2024 winner, GNT focused on establishing flower meadows on farms to boost biodiversity and ecological connectivity. This year’s project will focus on monitoring biodiversity, with the help of ecologists. 

SVZ, strawberry supplier, Spain: SVZ is expanding its use of the HIDRIX on-demand irrigation system to optimise water use and reduce emissions. Partnering with local farms and Wageningen University, the project integrates real-time sensor data and climate forecasts for precision irrigation. Results from the first phase showed water savings of up to 12.6%. 

Silvi Navarrete and Maria Vallet at SVZ commented: “In Spain, every drop of water carries the weight of harvests—the SVZ strawberry supply chain in Huelva, Spain, isn’t just about volume and quality; it’s also about water stewardship, soil health, and long-term resilience.” 

Sensus, chicory root fibre supplier, Netherlands and Belgium: Sensus is continuing a pilot on seed-embedding technology for no-till chicory cultivation. This method may boost yields by 20–30% while improving soil health and carbon sequestration. 

Florida Products, pineapple supplier, Costa Rica:  Florida Products aims to enhance sustainable farming by harvesting rainwater in two high-rainfall regions, Siquirres and Zafiro, to reduce dependence on groundwater. By capturing and filtering rooftop rainwater for irrigation and other agricultural uses, this project improves water management, protects aquifers, and supports long-term environmental resilience. 

First-time recipients of the fund 

Konfrut, pomegranate supplier, Turkey: Konfrut is introducing a sustainability pilot on three smallholder pomegranate farms in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, showcasing climate- and nature-positive practices to address water scarcity and soil degradation. It will support modern irrigation systems, low-carbon fertilisers, digital farming tools, farmer training, and environmental assessments to build long-term resilience and reduce resource use. 

Zuvamesa, orange and clementine supplier, Spain: Zuvamesa is trialling natural formulations made from citrus d-limonene to reduce synthetic pesticide use and enhance soil water retention to cut irrigation needs and carbon emissions. 

Chiquita, banana supplier, Costa Rica: Chiquita’s innovation partnership, Yelloway, is developing disease-resistant banana varieties to reduce reliance on the vulnerable Cavendish clone. This year’s focus is on furthering knowledge on the genetic makeup of bananas to accelerate breeding and help farmers grow bananas with fewer chemical inputs. 

‘FIF winners are tackling some of agriculture’s key challenges’

Nick Canney, CEO at innocent Drinks, said: “We’ve been championing fruit and veg since 1999, we’re on a mission to help people live well through the delicious goodness of the stuff, for now and generations to come. I’m proud of our continued investment in building meaningful partnerships with our suppliers.  

“This year’s Farmer Innovation Fund winners are tackling some of agriculture’s key challenges, and it’s inspiring to see our suppliers at the forefront of the transition to more sustainable farming practices.” 

The company said that innocent’s continued focus on investing in its supply chains will enhance its sustainable practices by restoring and revitalising land used by its farmers to grow fruit and veg.  

The business will monitor its funded projects and share the learnings with the wider industry to help further safeguard the long-term supply of fruit and veg. 

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