Understanding the social impact of the Blue Skies Model – Research Project Funding Proposal

Blue Skies as the supplier of fresh-cut prepared fruit to Albert Heijn and Waitrose & Partners follows a unique business model that aims to provide positive social impacts on the local communities where the product (fruit) grows, is harvested and prepared, and subsequently transported to the European markets. This “adding value at source” model is designed not only to deliver better quality products, but also to provide positive social impacts (such as, opportunities for employment, skills development, and technology transfer) within the local communities. This business model is in addition to the three-tiered Foundation model by which Blue Skies, Albert Heijn, and Waitrose invest some of the economic benefits of the entire business model within the source Countries. The present document aims to provide a detailed and contextualised research proposal to assess the social impact of the Blue Skies business model , and to provide a set of recommendations to the Company.