Though you may know Florida for its citrus, the Sunshine State pays its bills with tomatoes. In the winter months, just about every tomato grown and consumed in the US comes from the southernmost continental state. And until very recently, Florida was ground zero for some of the worst labor abuses seen in America since slavery was outlawed.

The stories of South Florida have begun to change for the better, though – largely due to a scrappy collective with a knack for marketing called the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Immokalee, Florida is a small community on the edge of the Everglades. Producing tomatoes there is a fight against nature so growers spend lavishly on fertilizers and pesticides—at the expense of the workers. For too long, they cut costs by subcontracting with crew bosses who often held their charges against their will and without pay. These and other abuses spurred the creation of the Coalition.

Run for and by farm workers, their grassroots advocacy and catchy PR stunts like the Penny-per-Pound campaign have resulted in fairer wages and increased quality of life for those whose hands feed us. Can food be affordable, delicious, and fair? The CIW is here to show that it can. And when it’s done right, justicia tastes an awful lot like sunshine.