Where the heart opens, new perspectives arise

Since January 2025, Marloes Groenewegen has been leading Fairtrade Netherlands. She is committed to fair trade and to improving the living conditions of farmers and workers in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The big challenge: getting food brands, supermarkets, and consumers to pay a fairer price for products such as coffee, tea, and bananas.

For me, it is a pleasure to speak with Marloes. What strikes me most is her enormous positivity. There simply seems to be no room for frustration or doubt. Not even in a complex ecosystem full of conflicting interests, slow decision-making, and glaring inequality. Instead of colliding with that reality, Marloes moves through it with a combination of logic, intuition, and feeling. In doing so, she knows how to get people moving – step by step, heart by heart.

In this interview, Marloes talks about how experiences from her younger years grew into a deep motivation, why she likes to take CEOs with her on trips, and how she stays upright against headwinds – sometimes literally.

Improving the lives of coffee producers with an open mind

From an early age, Marloes felt deeply concerned about the fate of underprivileged communities and farmers in developing countries. "I started traveling when I was nineteen, first to India, where the enormous contrast between rich and poor touched me. Later, during a longer trip to Guatemala, I visited a coffee plantation. There I saw up close how incredibly hard people had to work for something we take for granted in the Netherlands: coffee. That's where the first Fairtrade seed was planted."

"I didn't do anything with it at the time, but it stayed with me." Marloes’ career started in the commercial world – first at Heineken, then at Vodafone, and later at Philips. "But at some point it started to gnaw at me. While working at Philips, I visited a factory in China where webcams were produced. Rows of young women sat in the production hall. The impact was defined there as: the more we sell, the more they earn. But as a product manager, I was so far removed from that reality. That was a moment when I realized: I want to do work that really makes a difference in society."

"I was part of the system, but I didn’t feel part of the solution."

A few years later, this realization led to a major turn in Marloes’ career. She decided to temporarily leave the business world behind and chose education. "In teaching, I was able to make a direct impact – on an individual level, in the lives of students."

Around the same time, she had the chance to live in Bhutan with her family for six months. While her children went to school there, Marloes taught at the university in Thimphu. "I also worked on a consultancy project for potato farmers. There, too, I saw up close how hard farmers work for so little – and how little they get in return."

Nevertheless, her ambition remained to achieve change on a larger scale. Through a role at Wageningen University, where she worked on translating scientific research into market applications, and later at StartLife, where she supervised startups, her focus shifted increasingly towards social impact. "That felt more and more like the right direction."

When Marloes was approached for the position of director at Fairtrade Netherlands, it felt like everything came together. "Everything I’ve experienced during my travels, my affinity with innovation and impact, my commercial background – it all falls into place here. Fairtrade is all about improving the lives of farmers and workers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America – the people who produce our coffee, tea, and bananas. But with a sharp eye on the market. Not out of pity – these people are resilient, hospitable, and powerful – but out of the realization that they deserve a fair price for their hard work."

Knowing how to get decision-makers to the right place

Marloes is clear about the impact she wants to make with her work. In the short term, the goal is to achieve more Fairtrade premiums for farmers' cooperatives. "Verkade, for example," she begins. "They buy cocoa and pay a Fairtrade premium on top of the basic price. The surplus goes directly to the farmers’ cooperatives – and the farmers themselves decide, democratically, how the premium is spent. Whatever their community needs is what gets built: a bridge for faster transport of the harvest, a school, a storage facility, books."

The license fee that companies such as Verkade pay to Fairtrade is also used for impact. It enables local training in areas such as climate adaptation, financial administration, and productivity improvement. This is how the resilience of tomorrow is built.

But in the long run, Marloes wants more than that. "I would like the whole system to change. In the cocoa industry, you are slowly seeing a shift towards more sustainable purchasing, partly through covenants. Some brands and retailers are really taking steps. But there are also still large chocolate and coffee companies that make hundreds of millions in profit, and yet farmers continue to receive extremely low prices." What does it take to change that? "Touching people. If you know how to touch people – in their heads and their hearts – then things will move."

She gives an example of a CEO who was so touched by Fairtrade’s story – about what it means for farming families if you pay them a better price for cocoa beans – that he committed on the spot. "Now we are building a wonderful program together." Another example is the partnership between Fairtrade and PLUS, which has been in place for ten years. The starting point was a visit by the then PLUS director and Marloes’ predecessor to a banana plantation in Colombia. "There he saw with his own eyes the difference between a regular plantation and a Fairtrade plantation," says Marloes. "He decided on the spot: we are switching completely to Fairtrade bananas."

Since then, PLUS has sold only Fairtrade bananas – a choice that has benefited tens of thousands of workers and their families. This shows how powerful it is to experience for yourself what fair trade means in practice. "That’s why I encourage every director and sustainability manager: go and see. See it with your own eyes. Because only when you have felt it yourself – not only with your head, but also with your heart – can you truly find the conviction to make different choices."

Patience and perspective

Despite good progress, there are still parties that find the switch to fairer trade less obvious. "Not every company has it in its DNA," says Marloes. "One supermarket does everything possible, and another does as little as possible. Nevertheless, we continue the conversation – even with the supermarket that moves the least. In such conversations, it helps not to think in terms of opposites. Sometimes people simply don’t understand it well enough. Or they are stuck in their own organization or decision-making structure. The trick is to take that seriously, to stay curious, and to look together at what is possible. That is often the beginning of movement."

"I consciously choose to always stay focused on how and where I can make the most impact."

This attitude is also valuable in relation to industry peers. "Within the broader playing field – think of organizations such as Oxfam Novib or Solidaridad – everyone has their own role. Sometimes they critically include Fairtrade in campaigns against low cocoa prices. That is not always easy, but it is understandable. They put issues on the agenda, we offer solutions. It is precisely these different roles that make the field powerful – as long as you continue to see the bigger picture."

Setting course with head and heart

In the field of Fairtrade, it is not always enough to rely solely on logic and strategy – feelings and intuition play at least as important a role. Marloes sees herself as someone who is naturally analytical and rational: first comes the head. "But with decisions that are close to the mission or core of the organization, I ultimately feel: I can’t make any other choice than this. That feeling bubbles up and becomes so strong that I can no longer push it away. So I make the choice from the heart."

That is sometimes daunting, she acknowledges. "It’s hard to say, ‘I just feel that,’ or ‘that’s what my intuition tells me.’ Then you have to reason it through again. But it is precisely in this work that it’s about touching people and acting from genuine involvement. And that often starts with something you can’t capture in numbers."

Fortunately, Marloes cycles a lot. During long rides – sometimes alone – she creates the space to let her thoughts run free. "On the bike, I don’t have to go anywhere with my thinking. That creates space. Sometimes insights bubble up by themselves, without me forcing them. Also about the rationale behind a feeling. And then I can explain it after all."

In dilemmas, honesty and integrity lead the way

By relying on logic, positivity, and intuition, Marloes usually knows how to arrive at clear and decisive decisions. But sometimes there are dilemmas where even that combination is not enough. "In our work, we come across situations you can’t solve with reason or feeling alone. Then there are ethical tensions or conflicting interests. Those are the moments when honesty and integrity become decisive for me. You have to be able to say: what is really the right thing to do here – even if it is not the easiest path."

One principle is essential for Marloes: explainability. "I think it’s crucial that I can explain why something has to happen – to the team, to the outside world, to everyone my decision affects. If I can’t explain it, I can’t fully support it."

Turning headwinds into motion

Marloes is not discouraged by difficult dilemmas or the sometimes rigid attitude of companies. "I believe that my role, and the organization I work in, can really make a difference. Of course we face headwinds and criticism. The more visible you become, the more often that happens. But I think: everyone who criticizes is at least thinking about it. That offers an opening. And maybe then it’s possible to set that headwind in motion and turn it." Self-confidence and the willingness to rethink are therefore essential to stay on course toward impact.

The source of Marloes’ confidence? "It’s something that has built up over the years. Through experiences, conversations, my view of the world – and through my deep-rooted sense of what is fair. I see how inequality arises, how the gap between rich and poor is fed. And I believe you don’t bridge that gap with incidental help, but through structural change. By allowing people to earn a fair income. That is the core for me."

According to Marloes, that drive is essential. "I also see it among fellow directors and employees. In the not-for-profit sector, you have to believe in what you stand for, otherwise you won’t make it. It’s like entrepreneurship: you have to be convinced of the value of what you do – that’s more important than a perfect product. That inner drive makes all the difference."

Drawing energy from adventure, sports, and family

To keep her energy balance right, Marloes consciously creates space outside of work. Sports and adventure play a major role in this. "Next week I’m going bikepacking in Scotland – with a burner and tent, together with friends. Physically breaking down and mentally recharging. Only being busy climbing, descending, and avoiding Scottish Highlanders. For me, that’s really being in the moment."

Sports are essential in her life. "In the winter I go ski touring, in the summer I cycle a lot – long rides, also during the week. And I love climbing. While climbing, you are fully focused on the route; there is no room for distractions. That’s what I like about it."

Her family is also an important pillar. "Things have to be right at home. There must be space to do things together – that’s a basic condition. And I make sure I surround myself with good people. That gives me energy."

Discipline helps her keep everything in balance. "On Monday morning, I’m on my bike to Utrecht at six o’clock. At nine, I’m showered and at my desk. Tuesday evening I cycle back. Then I’ve covered 120 kilometers and worked two long days. On Wednesdays I usually work from home and spend time with my husband and children."

What really throws Marloes off balance? An injury. "Only then do I notice how important physical fitness is to me. If I can’t exercise, I feel less energetic. I’ve experienced that a few times. That’s why I listen carefully to my body. I always wear my sports watch and keep a close eye on my heart variability. Often my feeling matches exactly what the data shows. If that variability suddenly drops, I know: I’m physically or mentally overloaded, or there’s a flu lurking. Then I consciously take some extra rest or some vitamins. Everything to stay fit."

Dare to make choices in line with core values

As advice for the new generation of impact-driven leaders, Marloes emphasizes that it is okay to make mistakes and learn from them. "Sometimes you just have to go for something, simply because you believe in it. Then it may be necessary to take a step back – that’s part of the process." She sees that many important choices around her are being postponed – not because people don’t know what is needed, but because they fear the reaction. "Fear of doing something wrong, fear of what others think. But courage is needed to make better choices for the world."