Coalition Of Immokalee Workers

What Coalition Of Immokalee Workers does

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a worker-led, nonprofit human rights organization founded in 1993 in Immokalee, Florida, that organizes alongside immigrant farmworkers — primarily Mexican and Central American tomato pickers — to eliminate forced labor, sexual assault, wage theft, and other systemic abuses in U.S. agricultural supply chains. The organization's signature product is the Fair Food Program (FFP), a worker-driven social responsibility framework introduced in 2010 that links farmworkers, Florida tomato growers (covering 90% of the state's $650 million tomato industry), and major retail buyers through legally binding purchase agreements, a penny-per-pound premium paid by buyers, a human-rights-based Code of Conduct, worker-to-worker education sessions, a 24-hour complaint hotline, and independent monitoring by the separately incorporated Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC). Supporting programs include the Campaign for Fair Food (consumer, student, and faith-based pressure campaigns targeting non-participating retailers such as Publix, Kroger, and Wendy's) and an Anti-Slavery Program through which CIW has assisted the Department of Justice in liberating over 1,200 workers from forced labor operations since 1997.

CIW's business model is that of a grant- and donation-funded nonprofit. Revenue streams include individual donations, sustainer giving programs, foundation grants, a $2.5 million U.S. Department of Labor grant awarded in February 2023 to support international expansion of the Fair Food Program, and the Fair Food Store merchandise channel. The Fair Food Premium (a penny-per-pound add-on paid by participating buyers) is channeled directly to farmworkers rather than to CIW itself. The organization's 11–50 staff operate from a single headquarters in Immokalee, with program reach spanning Florida, the broader Southeast, and California. Major participating buyers include McDonald's, Walmart, Whole Foods, Taco Bell, Chipotle, Ahold (Giant/Stop & Shop), and Compass Group, with McDonald's and Walmart representing the largest enterprise anchors.

CIW is governed through a non-hierarchical, collective worker-led structure co-founded by Greg Asbed (2017 MacArthur Fellow) and Lucas Benitez. The organization has been recognized with the 2015 Presidential Medal for combatting slavery, the 2014 Clinton Global Citizen Award, the 2013 Freedom From Want Medal, and the 2016 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award, and its model has been cited by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights as a template for global replication.

Name

Coalition Of Immokalee Workers

Legal name

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Website

https://ciw-online.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a worker-led nonprofit founded in 1993 in Immokalee, Florida, that organizes with immigrant farmworkers to eliminate forced labor and wage theft in U.S. agriculture. Its core product, the Fair Food Program, uses legally binding buyer agreements, worker-triggered complaint resolution, and independent auditing to enforce labor standards across participating growers and major retail buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD)

Keywords

• Farmworker rights advocacy
• Worker-driven social responsibility
• Supply chain human rights
• Fair labor certification
• Anti-slavery enforcement

Headquarters

HQ city

Immokalee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and organizational donations supporting farmworker rights advocacy, documented by donation pages and sustainer programs.
2. Government Grants: Federal government funding for expansion of human rights programs in agriculture.
3. Fair Food Premiums: Market-based premiums channeled to workers rather than direct organizational revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers operates the Fair Food Program, a worker-driven social responsibility model that enforces human rights standards on participating farms through legally binding agreements with retail food buyers, a human rights-based Code of Conduct, a penny-per-pound premium paid to workers, worker-to-worker education, a 24-hour complaint hotline, health and safety committees, and independent auditing by the Fair Food Standards Council. Complementary offerings include the Campaign for Fair Food (corporate pressure and boycott organizing) and the Anti-Slavery Program (assistance in modern-day slavery investigations and prosecutions).

Product overview

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers operates a portfolio of advocacy programs focused on farmworker rights, with the Fair Food Program as its central product—a comprehensive worker-driven social responsibility system. The Fair Food Program works in conjunction with the Fair Food Standards Council for oversight and enforcement, and includes a Fair Food Program Label for consumer-facing products. Supporting programs include the Campaign for Fair Food (organizing and advocacy) and the Anti-Slavery Program (prosecution assistance). The organization does not offer technology products or SaaS offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fair Food Program (FFP)
• Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC)
• Fair Food Program Label
• Campaign for Fair Food
• Anti-Slavery Program

Quantifiable outcome

• $15 million+ in Fair Food Premiums paid to workers (2011-2014)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Student/Farmworker Alliance (SFA)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2013National grassroots network empowering young people to take leadership in farmworker justice campaigns. Conducts annual 'Encuentro' gatherings and coordinates campus-based organizing and Wendy's boycott activities.
• Chipotle Mexican GrillcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2012Signed Fair Food Agreement in 2012, participating in the program.
• Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2010Independent nonprofit organization created with sole function of overseeing the Fair Food Program. Responsible for financial and systems audits of participating farms and retailers, staffing 24-hour complaint hotline, investigating and resolving complaints, and helping growers and buyers comply with program requirements.
• Florida Tomato GrowerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership with Florida tomato growers representing 90% of the $650 million industry. Growers sign Fair Food Agreements committing to Code of Conduct compliance including zero tolerance for forced labor and sexual assault, in exchange for preferential purchasing from participating buyers.
• McDonald'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010Participating buyer in the Fair Food Program, one of the first major fast food chains to join. Commits to preferentially purchasing from FFP-compliant growers.
• WalmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010Major retail buyer that joined the Fair Food Program, with recognition from UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights as a participant in the model.
• Whole FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010Participating buyer in the Fair Food Program committed to sourcing from compliant growers.
• Ahold (Giant/Stop & Shop)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010European retail giant operating Giant and Stop & Shop stores in the U.S. that stocks Fair Food Program labeled produce with in-store displays and radio ads.
• Taco BellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2001First major buyer to sign Fair Food Agreement with CIW, pioneering the penny-per-pound premium model. Resolution of 2001 Taco Bell boycott.
• National Council of ChurchesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEndorsed the Wendy's boycott and works with CIW on campaigns to pressure corporate buyers to join the Fair Food Program.
• T'ruah: Rabbinic Call for Human RightsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRabbinic organization conducting 'Tomato Rabbi' delegations, visits to Wendy's Chairman Nelson Peltz's office, and public advocacy for the Fair Food Program.
• United Methodist Church / United Methodist WomenmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlorida United Methodist Conference passed resolution calling on Publix to join the Fair Food Program. United Methodist Women conduct protests and educational events.
• Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human RightsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresident Kerry Kennedy advocates for the Fair Food label and program, speaking on HuffPost Live about the initiative.
• VIDA Legal AssistancecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal assistance organization jointly developing training curriculum on prevention of domestic violence and sexual violence in the workplace for the Fair Food Program.
• U.S. Department of Justice / FBI / HSI / DOLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw enforcement partnerships in anti-slavery efforts. CIW has assisted DOJ in uncovering multiple multi-state slavery operations; participates in Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force.
• Walk Free FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational anti-slavery organization with 4 million members that has launched e-actions calling on Wendy's and Publix to join the Fair Food Program.
• Compass GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFood service management company whose VP of Communications spoke at UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights about collaboration with the Fair Food Program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Equitable Food Initiative (EFI): Worker-driven certification program for fresh produce that, like CIW's Fair Food Program, trains farmworkers to drive compliance on labor, food safety, and pest management — directly comparable as a competing worker-led certification model in US agriculture.
• Fair Trade USA: The leading US-based fair trade certification body across food and agricultural products. Highly comparable to the FFP's Fair Food Label as a third-party certified ethical sourcing program that commands retailer premiums for compliant producers.
• Rainforest Alliance: Global sustainability certification that has expanded its standard to include labor and human rights criteria on farms. Comparable to CIW as a multi-stakeholder certification body whose seal drives retailer purchasing decisions in agricultural supply chains.
• Migrant Justice (Milk with Dignity): Vermont-based farmworker-led organization that designed the Milk with Dignity program — directly inspired by and structurally modeled on CIW's Fair Food Program — applying the same worker-driven social responsibility framework to the dairy supply chain.
• FoodChain Workers Alliance: Coalition of worker-based organizations across the entire food chain (farm, processing, retail, restaurant) that, like CIW, mobilizes supply chain worker power to pressure brands — directly comparable as a peer in worker-led food system reform.
• Farmworker Justice: National advocacy and legal services organization focused on farmworker rights, immigration, and labor policy. Highly comparable to CIW in mission and target population, though Farmworker Justice pursues reform through litigation and federal policy rather than supply chain organizing.

Broad incumbents

• United Farm Workers (UFW): Historic US farmworker labor union founded in 1962 that pursues worker rights via collective bargaining and legislative action. Comparable to CIW as the established incumbent in farmworker organizing, though UFW uses traditional union structures rather than CIW's worker-driven social responsibility model.
• Oxfam America: Global anti-poverty and worker-rights advocacy organization that runs supply chain campaigns targeting food and apparel brands (e.g., Behind the Brands). Comparable to CIW in campaign tactics and retailer pressure, though at a much broader global scale and across multiple commodities.

Others

• WhyHunger: National grassroots organization supporting food sovereignty and community-based solutions to hunger. Awarded CIW the 2013 Food Sovereignty Prize and operates in an adjacent food justice space, making it thematically comparable though not a direct operational peer.

Emerging players

• Bon Appétit Management Company: Food service management company long known for its 'Farm to Fork' ethical sourcing commitments and participation in worker-driven supply chain programs. Comparable to CIW as a buyer-side participant in supply chain ethics, and as an early adopter who has publicly advocated for stronger labor standards in produce sourcing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ciw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ciwnetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/ciwonfb
• Instagraminstagram.com/ciw_online
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coalition-of-immokalee-workers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Coalition Of Immokalee Workers