At 5pm on February 26th Gerrit Sonder left Santiago for Amsterdam having spent a week with our packers in Chile. The following morning  we learned of the destructive earthquake which hit Chile at 5am on February 27th. It's a real testament to the people of this country that the damage was relatively  limited thanks to their precautionary building practices and resilient spirit.

The earthquake arrived during one of the biggest cropping seasons for us. We were in the midst of harvesting both raspberries and blackberries in Chile and the quake could have potentially meant the harvest would grind to a halt. However, with the Chilean rescue teams swinging swiftly into action there was road access again almost immediately thanks to make-shift bridges along the major arterial routes. Our strong relationship with our packers means that we've been able to concentrate fully on maintaining supplies in order to deliver to our customers. At the sea ports (despite severe structural damage) they are operating at 70 - 90% production which is miraculous considering the challenges they are facing.

We have been amazed at the support and tenacity of the people of Chile and their commitment during what has been a horrendous time for them.

If you'd like to make a donation to the earthquake appeal you can do so here