SL Produce invests in sustainable measures to combat ongoing drought

JULY 28, 2025 — LOS MOCHIS, MEXICO – SL Produce, a leading Mexico-based fresh vegetable producer-exporter, has committed to making ongoing, substantial investments in a highly ambitious sustainability strategy, which it hopes will help alleviate challenging growing conditions.

With SL’s home state of Sinaloa facing an unprecedented drought – which has also affected growers in Sonora, Chihuahua, and other northern regions – the company is placing an even greater emphasis on sustainability, including new cultivation methods, and soil and varietal regeneration.

SL, which grows and markets green beans, bell peppers, American slicer cucumbers, zucchini, sweet corn, yellow squash and grey squash under its Tenderland label, has long been an innovator in sustainability, but 2025 has seen the company further broaden its focus.

This includes the expansion of a dedicated department for soil regeneration, which is leading the way when it comes to testing innovative new applications and technological solutions.

According to Ivonne Lugo, SL’s Marketing and PR Manager, much of northern Mexico is experiencing the worst drought in decades, which has resulted in lower production and crop losses across the region. For SL, the focus for 2025, therefore, has been on maintaining – as opposed to increasing – the same levels of production as 2024, while also testing new varieties that may be better suited to conditions on the ground.

The company has also put in place detailed strategic plans covering the remainder of the year, which cover everything from the start of production through to the signing of contracts with customers, particularly in key markets such as the United States.

Investing in a sustainable future
However, if there is one factor that sets SL apart from its peers, it is the company’s continued focus and dedication to sustainability, and crucially, soil regeneration. In fact, soil regeneration is currently one of the business’ biggest drivers, with SL dedicating significant resources to improving soil conditions.

“The topic of sustainability might sound nice and it can help you sell, but for us the backbone of our business is returning to the soil what we have taken out,” Lugo said. “We are completely immersed in establishing sustainable agriculture because we are located in a region with an increasing amount of challenges.

“We have a changing climate that we can’t control, a drought that has affected everyone here, plus other external factors, and all of this has led us to take sustainably very seriously.”

For Lugo, sustainability isn’t merely marketing speak or a sales tool, but rather something that needs to be taken extremely seriously for the future of SL as a business. “If we don’t work on soil regeneration, the business would be over. There wouldn’t be land to cultivate crops,” she explained.

SL’s focus on sustainability has taken the company to not just testing new varieties, but also the application of innovative treatments to improve soil health, including beneficial bacteria and sea-grown algae. “Our soil regeneration department started as a ‘nice to have’ and it has now become a ‘basic must’ where we have increasing numbers of specialists studying how we can keep improving soil health and what technologies can be used to do that,” Lugo continued.

“We are closely following what’s happening in California, in Australia, in Japan, studying all the new solutions that are being developed. Not everything is suitable for our region, but we are keeping ourselves informed and are continuing to look for new alternatives. These investments are expensive but necessary because we have promises that we want keep with our clients, which for us is the most important thing.”

To provide year-round supplies of many key products, including bell peppers, cucumbers and green beans, SL also benefits from production sites further south in the regions of Jalisco and Guanajuato. “Even when changing production to different regions isn’t always the most profitable thing to do, for us it’s the most effective way of ensuring we continue to bring our customers the best quality products, 12 months a year,” Lugo said.

SL’s biggest investment is – and continues to be – in sustainability, with a focus on ensuring a viable future in all of the regions where it operates.

About SL Produce: A vertically integrated company from fields to delivery, SL Produce uses state-of-the-art greenhouses for cultivation, followed by rigorous selection and packaging processes, all with the aim of delivering added value with its vegetables. SL Produce also counts on a strong distribution network with quality inspections in Nogales, AZ, and McAllen, TX, ensuring timely deliveries to the United States and Canada.

For further information, please contact: Ivonne Lugo at ilugo@slproduce.mx