An Armenian flat peach producer has integrated GLOBALG.A.P., GRASP, FSA and Chain of Custody into a single system for managing production, labour practices and product traceability.
Belly Bella Fruit Company, a producer and exporter of flat peaches, flat nectarines and plums, has become the first and, to date, the only agricultural company in Armenia to successfully complete the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP). The new status complements the producer’s existing GLOBALG.A.P., FSA and Chain of Custody credentials, creating an integrated framework for demonstrating production safety, sustainability, responsible labour practices and product traceability. For Armenia’s fruit and vegetable sector, this represents a shift from exporting fruit simply as a commodity towards participating in the managed procurement chains of international retailers, EastFruit reports.
In 2026, the competitiveness of a fresh fruit supplier is determined by much more than price, product appearance and the ability to deliver the required volumes. For major buyers, issues that only a few years ago were largely associated with corporate social responsibility are becoming increasingly important: exactly where the fruit was grown, who worked in its production, how working conditions were managed, whether certified products can be kept separate from non-certified products, how quickly a supplier can identify and isolate a shipment in the event of a claim, and what evidence supports its sustainability statements.
Belly Bella Fruit Company, an Armenian producer of flat peaches, flat nectarines and plums, is systematically building the systems required to access demanding international sales channels.
A new procurement architecture: fruit must be not only high-quality, but also manageable
In the European fresh produce business, a low purchase price has long ceased to be a competitive advantage in itself. Cheap fruit that is inconsistent in size and maturity, fails to withstand logistics, generates high levels of waste, or lacks reliable documentation on its origin can ultimately cost a retailer more than a shipment that was initially more expensive.
“A professional buyer looks at much more than the price per kilogram. They are interested in the consistency of specifications, predictability of volumes and supply schedules, uniformity of consignments, compliance with food safety requirements, pesticide residue management, the speed of cooling, sorting and packing, the ability to trace products throughout the supply chain, the supplier’s readiness to manage complaints and recalls, as well as social and environmental risks at production level,” says David Saakyan, owner of Belly Bella Fruit Company.
The requirements of different retail chains, including Lidl, Kaufland, Carrefour, REWE and others, are not identical. There is no universal set of certifications that automatically provides access to every European supermarket chain. However, the direction in which procurement systems are developing is clear: suppliers must be able to provide documentary evidence of how they manage risks both at production level and throughout the supply chain.
REWE Group, for example, explicitly recognises that the risks of violations of labour and social standards are particularly high at the agricultural production stage. The company uses risk analysis, certification, supplier development programmes and supply-chain monitoring. Kaufland also identifies transparency, decent working conditions, human rights and responsible production standards among the requirements applied across its global value chain.
Certification is therefore becoming part of the commercial infrastructure of a fruit and vegetable supplier. This is particularly important for stone fruit. Flat peaches and nectarines are sensitive to harvest timing, mechanical damage, temperature management and the number of handling operations. Even a high-quality crop can rapidly lose its commercial value if there is no integrated operating system connecting the orchard, sorting, cooling, packing and dispatch processes.
From product inspection to verification of the entire production system
According to the company’s founder, the foundation of Belly Bella Fruit Company’s certification strategy is its intensive flat peach orchard, certified under GLOBALG.A.P. The certification currently covers more than 200 hectares, specifically the company’s flat peach orchards. Belly Bella’s total production area amounts to 600 hectares. In the future, the company plans to extend the standardisation process across its orchards, including the planned certification of flat nectarines and plums.
GLOBALG.A.P. provides the basic level of control at primary production level, covering agricultural operations, food safety, crop protection products, hygiene, documentation and key production risks.
After harvesting, the fruit moves through sorting, packing and consolidation for commercial operations. At each of these stages, potential risks may arise, including the mixing of consignments, incorrect labelling or loss of the link between finished packs and the certified production area.
These risks are addressed through the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody standard.
Chain of Custody protects the identity and traceability of certified products. Its requirements include the segregation of certified and non-certified product flows, records of product movement, controls over incoming and outgoing volumes, recall procedures and verification of transaction histories. According to GLOBALG.A.P., the standard is designed to prevent substitution, mixing and incorrect identification of products throughout the supply chain.
For Belly Bella Fruit Company, having its own sorting and packing infrastructure located close to the orchards has strategic importance.First, the company reduces the number of intermediate operations between harvesting and preparing the fruit for dispatch. Second, the producer retains direct control over sorting by size, visual characteristics and quality. Third, integrated management of both the orchard and packing facility simplifies the formation of consignments and helps preserve their identity. Fourth, it reduces dependence on external operators that could otherwise become weak links in terms of hygiene, documentation, temperature management or traceability. For buyers and importers, this means a shorter and more controllable chain of responsibility. Belly Bella Fruit Company’s system is built around several complementary tools.
GLOBALG.A.P.: managing primary production
GLOBALG.A.P. certification confirms that controlled production and food-safety procedures have been implemented at orchard level.
It provides a starting point for working with organised international retail, but does not, on its own, answer every question a buyer may have.
GRASP: social practices at farm level
GRASP is not a standalone product certification, but an add-on to GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance.The assessment covers worker health, safety and well-being, mechanisms for employee representation and grievances, access to information on labour rights, protection of children and young workers, and key indicators related to compliance with labour and social standards.The commercial value of GRASP lies in demonstrating that a supplier already has a formalised and independently assessed system for managing social issues. For buyers, this provides a structured basis for their own risk assessment.
FSA: managing farm sustainability as a structured process
The Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), developed by SAI Platform, is used by food-sector companies to assess, improve and verify the sustainability of agricultural production at farm level.
FSA standardises the assessment of fruit production and enables sustainability to be treated as a set of measurable and manageable practices and indicators.
The tool is used in more than 60 countries and covers a broad range of agricultural crops. For international buyers, FSA provides a common language between suppliers, processors, brands and retailers. It helps avoid situations in which every participant in the supply chain applies a different definition of sustainable agriculture.
Chain of Custody: proving the origin of a consignment
Chain of Custody links certified production to a specific commercial consignment.
Without this link, claims regarding a farm’s compliance with a standard can lose commercial value once the product leaves the orchard.Chain of Custody makes it possible to maintain an auditable chain of evidence through packing, handling and trading operations.
Together they form a practical system for managing four groups of risks: the safety and responsibility of primary production, environmental and operational sustainability, labour and social practices, and product identity and traceability.
Why social audits are becoming a commercial asset
In agriculture, social risks are often concentrated during periods of seasonal work.
Within a short period of time, farms may need to recruit significant numbers of workers, organise working-time records, provide training and occupational health and safety measures, ensure access to sanitary facilities, manage remuneration and maintain effective communication with employees.
For a buyer, a lack of transparency in this part of the supply chain represents not only an ethical issue but also a direct commercial risk.
European corporate sustainability regulation underwent substantial revision and simplification in 2026. Following changes introduced during the year, implementation of the EU-wide Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive was postponed: EU Member States are expected to transpose the revised rules by July 2028, with the main application of the requirements scheduled from July 2029.
Nevertheless, the overall direction of regulation remains unchanged: large companies are expected to develop a more systematic approach to human rights and environmental impacts across their chains of activities.
In addition to EU-wide legislation, procurement practices are already being shaped by national requirements, corporate supplier codes, internal ESG policies, investor requirements and the risk-management procedures of retail groups themselves.
GRASP should therefore be viewed as evidence that a supplier is preparing for a market in which social compliance documentation is gradually becoming part of standard supplier qualification and approval procedures.
Armenia is not yet perceived by most European buyers as a traditional large-scale supplier of flat peaches and nectarines. Standards cannot replace a competitive product, but they can make competitiveness demonstrable. Belly Bella Fruit Company is establishing a practical precedent: an Armenian horticultural company can proactively adapt its processes to international procurement systems. This approach changes the country’s export model. Instead of competing primarily through seasonal pricing and proximity to individual markets, a producer can begin competing on the quality of its supply-chain management. Social sustainability is becoming a condition of supply. “We are building an integrated system, from orchard management to sorting, packing and the traceability of every consignment. Armenian producers can compete internationally not only through the quality of their fruit, but also through the quality of their processes. The next stage for Belly Bella is to extend this system across the entire production area and further strengthen the predictability required for long-term supply programmes,” emphasises David Saakyan.
In 2026, access to international retail begins long before the first commercial offer is submitted. It begins in the orchard — with documentation, process discipline, worker protection, quality management and the ability to prove the origin of every box of fruit. The example of Belly Bella Fruit Company demonstrates that, for Armenia’s fruit and vegetable industry, the transition towards this model has already begun.
EastFruit