Leading By Example: Altruistic adventures

When it comes to those who grow, buy, or sell fresh produce, words like “community” and “passion” are commonly used, and as many will attest, they’re true descriptors. Even those who never anticipated a career in this particular business segment embrace it, wholeheartedly.

Some take it to an even higher level, to not only do more, but to make the world a better place. This new Blueprints feature series will highlight various ‘passion projects’ and initiatives originating in the industry with a wider impact.  

For our first article, we take a look at the Water for All project and its sibling fundraiser, the Water for All Trek.

How It Came About

The Water for All project is a culmination of two nonprofits and the endeavors of several like-minded individuals. It was established by Albert Perez, founder and CEO of Continental Fresh, LLC BB #:205099, based in Miami, FL.

Long before Continental Fresh opened its doors, Perez participated in service trips to the Dominican Republic as a high schooler, noticing how many families often went without basic needs, like clean water, which most of us take for granted.

During the 1980s, he and a friend, Alfred Consuegra, formed a nonprofit organization called LIFO Missions in 1985 to focus on clean water, education, and healthcare.

As the years passed, Perez gained experience and expertise, founding Continental Fresh in 2007 as a small importer of tropicals from Latin America. A few years later, in 2010, a few LIFO volunteers created BLUE Missions, to focus exclusively on providing clean water and sanitation to communities in need.

This was the impetus for Water for All.

“A big theme for me is that simple actions compound and lead to major change.”

“A big theme for me is that simple actions compound and lead to major change,” observes Perez, and he’s proving it by channeling a portion of Continental Fresh’s sales to help build gravity-driven aqueducts, ventilated latrines, and other projects.

“A percentage of every Water for All produce sale is donated to BLUE Missions. Currently, our mangos and squash are part of the program,” Perez says. “They can be purchased in display-ready boxes with our ‘blue drop’ PLU label.

“Promoting the Water for All mission in stores is a great way to reach shoppers who look for products that align with their values. We have a retail toolkit too—retailers can visit here to find printable signage, social posts, and information about the Water for All program.”

The efforts don’t stop there. “BLUE Missions and LIFO Missions prioritize projects where there’s greater need,” Perez explains, and this includes the number of people who will benefit, limitations to receiving other help or aid, and the community’s commitment to the project, because, as he points out, it will belong to them in the end.

The Projects Lead to a Peak

As the Water for All projects got underway, it became clear the need was greater than expected. To help raise funds for more projects prompted another, broader offshoot: the Water for All Trek.

“The first Water for All Trek started as a BLUE Missions team-building exercise in 2016,” Perez notes. It was a hike to the top of Pico Duarte, the highest mountain peak in the Caribbean.

The next year, family and friends were invited to join, and the group was challenged to raise funds. “They raised more than $5,000,” remembers Perez. “Every year since, participation has grown—last year’s group included 48 trekkers who raised a total of $78,757.”

To date, BLUE Missions has built some 319 sustainable water, sanitation, and filtration projects in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Colombia. In 2025, 15 aqueducts alone were constructed. Perez estimates 42,636 people are now connected to clean water, and the number continues to climb.

The next Water for All Trek is coming up—this November 20-24, 2026. It’s a three-day roundtrip hike to the 10,128-foot summit of Pico Duarte. “It’s about 28 miles from start to finish,” Perez says.  

Day Two is the most difficult, traversing 11 miles along the Yaque del Norte River.

Each hiker has a fundraising minimum of $750, which is in addition to the trip cost. “By asking friends, colleagues, family, and neighbors to contribute, trekkers spread the Water for All mission, which helps to sustain the impact we make each year,” Perez says.

A personal fundraising webpage and sample fundraising letters are available if needed to make it easy for trekkers to collect donations, of which 100-percent go to the water projects.

As far as the trek itself, hikers fly into Santiago and drive to the base camp in La Ciénaga. Perez, who goes on the hikes too, says Day Two is the most difficult, traversing 11 miles along the Yaque del Norte River.

“We’ll arrive at our campsite in time to have a hot meal and enjoy stories around the campfire. On the third day, we’ll hike 3 miles to Pico Duarte’s summit and take in the breathtaking beauty of the Cordillera Central. Then we hike back to enjoy a leisurely afternoon.”

What the Trekkers Say

Trekkers also get to see the impact they’re making by visiting a nearby completed water project. Several have made the trip more than once or become annual participants, like AgLife Media, Inc. founder and podcaster Patrick Kelly.

“For half a decade, joining Continental Fresh and BLUE Missions in the Dominican Republic has been one of the most meaningful parts of my year,” Kelly says. “Every visit reminds me why this mission matters and why I keep coming back.”

Gabe Bernal, vice president of Seasons Farm Fresh, Inc. BB #:297467, was encouraged by Kelly to make the trek and went for the first time last year.

“This trip was nothing short of a life-changing experience for me. Your personal struggles seem millions of miles away when you see how others live and what pains they’re going through. My main takeaway is anyone who needs a fresh perspective on their own life should take part in this.”

Eric Nagelberg, president of Panorama Produce Sales, Inc. BB #:125760, has also gone on the altruistic adventure, taking along his high school-aged son Max, who interned with the company.

“This was an incredibly special trip,” shares the elder Nagelberg. “In addition to bringing running water to a town that needed it, we also spent a week with an incredibly warm and fun group of people that now feels like a family.”

Max adds, “This eye-opening trip allowed me to not only create great connections with amazing people but also gave me the opportunity to help people in a way that hopefully left an impact on their lives—something that will stay with me forever.”

For more information, visit www.bluemissions.org/adventure-treks.

If you’re passionate about a new project or industry-related cause, let me know and maybe we’ll feature your initiative in a future article. You can reach me at tpfalzgraf@bluebookservices.com.