innocent Drinks has revealed the grant recipients of its Farmer Innovation Fund for 2025. Nine winners have been selected to receive financial support for projects working to help safeguard the long-term supply of fruit and veg.
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 £1m available for projects that support the transition to more regenerative agriculture practices.
Six of this year’s recipients are previous winners of the Farmer Innovation Fund.
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.
GNT Group, growing and extracting natural colour from carrots and pumpkins, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany: As a 2024 winner, GNT focussed 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%.
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 aim 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.
There are also three first-time recipients of the fund.
Konfrut, pomegranate supplier, Turkey: Konfrut are introducing a sustainability pilot on three smallholder pomegranate farms in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, introducing 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 make up of banana to accelerate breeding and help farmers grow bananas with fewer chemical inputs.
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.”