A Short History About SAVID
Our name SAVID fuses two Spanish words, Salud y Vida, meaning Health and Life. Savid was founded in 1994 by Dutch agronomist Jetta van den Berg in the South Western region of the Dominican Republic, in Azua valley. That was after working for several years with small organic banana growers in this territory.
For decades, organic bananas were grown in the DR. However, they were not certified organic till the late 80s, and it was to a minimal extent. Exports started in the early 90s, but it was a challenging business due to a lack of knowledge of growing techniques, dire logistics, and unreliable shipping. Over the next decade, Savid made initial efforts in its operations and investments to become the largest organic banana exporter and grower in the world, making the Dominican Republic famous for its organic bananas.
In 1997 Savid became the forerunner in its efforts to get small banana farmers certified Fair-trade. In 2002 the Company’s plantations also received the fair trade certification. We care about our farmers, workers, communities, clients, and the environment. This has been our philosophy since we began. We are committed to producing a high-quality product and ensuring sustainability.
Climate change over the last decade has made organic banana production a big challenge. The Company continues to invest in clean energy (solar panels) and improved drip and sprinkler irrigation systems to reduce water footprint further. Biodiversity plays an essential role in our farms, and we hope to have our carbon-neutral certification by the end of 2024.
Our mission is to provide high-quality organic bananas, while contributing to environmental sustainability by meeting or exceeding the needs and expectations of our customers and associate farmers, we achieve this through our excellent operations.
Mission
Vision
We pledge to be a good warden of the environment, having a long term commitment to spread/ raise awareness through our actions; reducing energy, educating our employees, and looking forward on the best way to preserve the environment for future generations.