Veggies From Mexico is a community of premium quality vegetable growers from Sinaloa, Mexico, that export over 25 million packages of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, and eggplants to the US and Canada each year. To become a member of Veggies from Mexico, high safety standards, social responsibility, and sustainability are crucial. Growers must have certifications recognized by North American retailers and buyers.

In 2008, just after spring, there was a salmonella crisis in the United States. It was found that this problem came from a fresh vegetable. Unfairly, Mexican tomatoes were suspected. After a few months, the investigation revealed that the problem was caused by peppers and not tomatoes.

However, for months the commercialization of tomatoes was seriously and unfortunately affected. So, in 2009, a group of growers from Sinaloa decided to create an organization to promote food safety practices in the state of Sinaloa and seek to strengthen them through certifications and constant audits. In 2009 Eleven Rivers was created as this body, auditing food safety criteria and adding hundreds of guidelines focused on promoting and strengthening social responsibility.

Eleven Rivers Growers takes its name from the 11 rivers that supply water to the valleys of Sinaloa. In 2021, the Veggies from Mexico community was created as a brand to promote the growers’ companies which are certified and audited by Eleven Rivers Growers.

The Eleven Rivers Growers team plays a crucial role in the operation of Veggies from Mexico. They are responsible for evaluating, auditing and classifying the growers in the community based on their compliance with high food safety-standards, social responsibility, and sustainability.

The team is integrated by professionals who are experts in food safety and social responsibility and have the experience of visiting and auditing growers in Sinaloa year after year. They initially evaluate the commercial certificates of the companies and classify them into two levels of compliance. The team also prepares a weekly audit plan to determine which companies meet the criteria and receive the Eleven Rivers Growers Badge, granting them membership to the Veggies from Mexico community. The Eleven Rivers Growers team has the power to revoke the badge if the growers do not comply with the criteria at any time, ensuring the quality and integrity of the Veggies from Mexico brand.

Veggies from Mexico is precisely the brand that represents this community of growers that have been distinguished, reviewed, and audited by the Eleven Rivers Growers Team.

To be a part of the Veggies from Mexico community each member is required to meet a series of certifications.

The Eleven Rivers Growers team is responsible for evaluating and classifying the growers in the community based on their compliance with food safety-standards, social responsibility, and sustainability certifications. Growers can be assigned to one of two tiers.

The first tier is called “Full Compliance”. To be granted this badge, growers must meet the following:

Food Safety Certifications: SRRC, GAP + GMP

Social Responsibility Certification: AHIFORES Diagnostic.

The second tier is called “Beyond”, and as its name suggests, it comprises GFSI certifications. To be granted this badge, growers must meet at least one of each of the following:

GFSI Recognized Food Safety Certifications: PrimusGFS, Global GAP + GMP + HACCP, SQF. Social Responsibility Certifications: CEAR, SMETA, Fairtrade.

In addition to the certifications, all growers are audited weekly, and the Eleven Rivers Growers team can revoke a grower’s badge in case of non-compliance.

Our grower members are based in the state of Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico, and many of them have operations in other Mexican states like Jalisco, Baja California, and more.

Our community offers a variety of fresh produce, including Tomatoes (roma, beefsteak, cherry, TOV, organic), Cucumbers (slicer, English, Persian), Bell Peppers (green, red, yellow, orange, mini), Eggplants, Green Beans, Persian Limes, Blueberries, and Hot Peppers. However, grower members may occasionally introduce new crops, so it is advisable to check regularly for updates on the product offerings.

There are currently 11 growers who are members of the VFM community.  It is significant to mention that they export more than 26 million boxes of different vegetables yearly together.  These growers represent between 30% and 35% of Sinaloa’s exports.

The VFM community is integrated by a group of growers from Sinaloa who comply with certifications and weekly audits in terms of food safety and social responsibility.

These growers have their own sales and marketing channels. And although they all belong to the VFM community, each grower holds its own labels or brands for customers.

Check each grower’s contact information here:

veggiesfrommexico.com/our-community

You can also download our directory and product availability at:

VFM Product Catalogue