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Gullino – High quality Italian kiwifruit

gullino

Gullino Import Export S.r.l. is an Italian company that only exports Italian-grown products. Its core business is kiwifruit, with seasonal export volumes of around 30,000 tonnes (35,000 in 2012/13, 32,600 in 2011/12 and 30,000 tonnes the season before that). Its next-biggest export products are peaches and nectarines (5000 tonnes in 2012/13, 5200 tonnes the year before and 6000 in 2010/11). The third product by volume is plums, at 2000 tonnes last season and 1500 tonnes in each of the previous two.  “We are continuing to run trials, both in the field and in the packhouse, to develop our know-how on the yellow kiwifruit variety Soreli in order to improve the product’s quality and shelf life during both refrigerated storage and transport (particularly by sea)”, commented the commercial manager, Giovanni Gullino. 
Gullino Import Export S.r.l exported around 41,000 tonnes, almost all grown in Piedmont, during the 2013 season. This year the firm expects to export 28,000 tonnes of kiwifruit. Crop volumes have been hit by a bacterial disease in Piedmont and above all by lower yields in the Venetian crop caused by root suffocation. The United States and Canada are showing good resilience this season, although the profitability of these markets has been affected by particularly unfavourable exchange rates. In the 2013/14 season, North America is taking about 18% of the firm’s exports. North Africa and the Middle East account for around 8% of turnover, followed by Eastern Europe at 5-6%. The main export market is still western Europe, however, which takes 40% of the firm’s shipments. “Most of our business has focused on closer destinations, at the start of the season at least, though we have kept up the programs we have underway with loyal clients that involve long journey times”, said Giovanni Gullino. Chile’s product shortage for the coming season hopefully promises a very active European market during the second part of the year.
A suitable grader has been acquired for in-line packing of delicate fruit in order to improve the quality of some presentations. Both the packhouse and storage company and most of the growers are certified to international standards such as BRC, IFS, TN, Globalgap and Grasp.
Gullino Import Export S.r.l. is very conscious of sustainability and has been working for some years now on a project called Save the Planet that aims to lead, in a few years’ time, to using only electricity generated from renewable sources throughout the production process. Currently the company can boast that 40% of the electricity it uses comes from renewable sources.

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Delindecsa shows route to success

delindecsa-af

A focus on quality has helped Ecuadorian banana firm Delindecsa develop into one of the country’s leading exporters over the last 10 years. Created in 2003, Ecuadorian banana company Delindecsa carried out its first shipment of fruit of 20,000 boxes to Germany in week 43 of that year. Under the leadership of Dr Jorge Manobanda Cedeño, the Guayaquil-based firm quickly became established as the company with the greatest rate of growth in the Ecuadorian banana sector, shipping over 100,000 boxes per week. In 2013, Delindecsa exported an estimated 3.7m boxes of primarily premium bananas to Germany, Russia and the Mediterranean region.  Speaking to Eurofresh Distribution, a spokesperson for the company revealed that Delindecsa was anticipating further export volume growth of 8% for the 2014 season. “We will continue working on the basis of providing high quality fruit and efficient services for all our customers, so everyone is satisfied,” the spokesperson said.
“Our production and service to our customers has led to us successfully achieving recognition for meeting the quality and volume demands of our clients. “We export all around the world, but a large part of the fruit that we export comes with GlobalG.A.P. certification for bananas, which gives a guarantee of our social and environmental commitments. “We also count on constant quality verification of the fruit through the hiring of international inspectors who provide quality inspection services for packers at the moment of shipment and arrival at destination,” the spokesperson added.

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Peru: Ambitious projects at Camposol

Camposol: First anniversary of "The Berry That Cares"

Peruvian farming enterprise Camposol has ambitious plans lined up for the next three years.                 Through a total investment volume of 250 million, they plan to diversify and extend the crops they currently grow, including, in order of importance: avocado, asparagus, grapes, blueberries, mangoes, artichokes, peppers, citruses and pomegranates. The firm is channelling 150 million dollars into the region’s most ambitious blueberry product ever, while the rest will be invested in maintenance and extending the company’s traditional plantations. Among these latest projects the most notable are for grape, citruses and asparagus. Camposol currently has 400 ha of Red Globe grape, the most important seeded variety in Peru. 200 new hectares will be sown with seedless grape. For their citrus farming operation, the mandarin groves will be increased from 100 to 500 ha. A significant renewal of asparagus fields is also lined up to replace part of the 2000 ha which are now more than 7-8 years old.  But without a doubt their greatest gambit will be the berry operation. “We opted for blueberry because Peru has a production window from September to October which is not sufficiently serviced by producer countries at the moment”, assures Commercial Manager José Antonio Gómez Bazán. “So far we have planted out 200 ha in Chavimochic / La Libertad, and hope to reach 2,000 hectares in the next three years. To achieve this target, we will be sowing 500 new hectares in 2014, 650 in 2015 and another 650 in 2016.”  The project aims to export 30,000 tons of blueberries annually, which is twice the amount currently produced by Argentina and Uruguay together. So far, the blueberry crops are very young: Between 1 and 2 years old. “Whereas last year we exported 1000 tons, we are set to double this figure in 2014. By 2015 we’ll be in full production with 5,000 tons, which will triple in 2016, and we shall continue to grow until by 2020, when we expect to reach the maximum volume anticipated”, he adds. The main markets for their fruit are the USA, the UK, Germany and the Nordic countries. Additionally, Camposol is planning regular blueberry shipments to Hong Kong and China, while exploring new cool treatment technologies with this in mind. The main challenge is labour, as developing the new plantations will mean increasing the stable workforce from 14,000 to 25,000. To this end, Camposol is creating a new residential project in Trujillo with quality housing for the workers. The company’s aim is to provide steady work for the region’s population while furthering the social development and infrastructure of the local community, in line with the corporate strategy of social responsibility.  

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Expoglobal, both producers and exporters

BANANA ecuador ASISBANE IMG00215-20130222-1156 (2)

Expoglobal, with a 40-year track record dedicated to exporting high quality Ecuadorian bananas, are now increasing their penetration in international markets.  In the last 3 they have opened up doors in the Middle East and China, where prospection is still in the fledgling stage, but with great expectations of success. Expoglobal currently continue to focus on their target of exporting 100% of their produce.  “This year has been rather complicated due to bad prices in Ecuador and the international markets in the first semester, with heavy rains in Ecuador and lower production in general after winter. Despite all this, we were able to keep up our export volumes in a dwindling market.  Our sales in the emerging markets of the Middle East, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and China allowed us to diversify our markets and reach 20 different ports in 2013”, explains Mathieu Mandon. The Don Alejo brand is present in most international markets, communicating the company’s values and the good quality of their bananas. The security of working with a producer/ exporter was very important for Expoglobal’s customers last year.  “This is the secret: working really hard to maintain loyalty and our customers’ acknowledgement of Expoglobal S.A.”, adds Mandon, revealing that estimates for 2014 foresee a 25% increase in sales.  “We shall continue to grow in emerging markets while also consolidating our presence in Europe.  Although Ecuador is not party to the treaty Peru and Colombia signed with the European Union, it still means that the price will gradually rise in comparison with our Peruvian and Colombian colleagues”, explains Mandon.  “As we are producers and exporters, we have great quality control of our production and thanks to this we have achieved a positive balance, despite all the difficulties”, declares Mathieu Mandon.  “Getting a foot in the door in China was an important achievement, which shows the headway being made in our market diversification strategy.  Rainfall is our in-house company policy of having several markets, both small and large.  All of them are important to us.”  Today Expoglobal ships its fruit to 19 different ports worldwide.

 

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Huelva confirms forecast 16% increase in berry plantations

Freshuelva, the Huelva Strawberry Producers’ and Exporters’ Association, estimates that the 2013-14 campaign will see 16% more hectares of berries planted (raspberries, blackberries and blueberries), resulting in a total of 2,520 ha given over to these fruits throughout the province. On the other hand, the surface area dedicated to strawberry growing is set to remain constant, with only a slight increase of around 2%, reaching 6,980 hectares.  This is reflected in data provided by Freshuelva member companies, representing around 95% of the sector. 
The rise in the total berry hectares is largely due to the greater role of blueberry, and blackberry. The former’s growing area has increased by 19 % and now covers 1150 ha. This increase in area is not directly in line with the rise in production, as the shrub only starts to bear fruit as of three years after planting.
In turn, blackberry cultivation has increased by 22%, going from 57 to 70 ha. This is a sector gambit aimed at diversification, with the rollout of new varieties to cover a longer time window in the market for this fruit. 
The third berry grown in the province, the raspberry, is also on the rise. In this case, its crop area has risen by 40% compared to last season, with a total of 1300 ha. Along these lines, forest fruits are consolidated in yet another campaign as an alternative to strawberry cultivation and further exploitation is now projected along Huelva’s western coastline. 
As for strawberry, Freshuelva reports that their planting phase suffered significant setbacks, due to the predominant hot, dry weather conditions throughout this stage. This situation led to high mortality of plants unable to withstand the temperature difference between the nursery and the province’s growing areas. 
The farmers are hoping the rains will come, beneficial to the plant root and largely absent throughout the planting phase. Now the work of covering the macrotunnels or greenhouses with plastic begins, to protect the plant from the low winter temperatures.

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Cuna de Platero with more sustainable approaches

cuna platero

Quality, strength, stability, reliability, sustainability and environmental care are the values that have characterised the largest Berry Cooperative located in Moguer, Spain, for a quarter of a century. Last season, Cuna de Platero SCA  traded a total of 55,000 tons from a 900 ha cultivated area with 90% in strawberry and the rest mainly in raspberry and blueberry, with a lower portion of blackberry and peach. Their main distribution channels are supermarket chains, although they also work with wholesalers. “Our company philosophy consists of always supplying high quality fruit with great flavour and a distinctive format. We have evolved into a specialist operation responding to multiple requests, assessing the needs of each customer in line with their specific demands for varieties and formats”, says General Manager Juan Báñez.  Along with this, he confirms that the company is increasingly more oriented towards production of fruits differentiated by their concern for consumer health and environmental sustainability, ensuring the success and consolidation of Moguer Cuna de Platero SCA. They are currently implementing the ‘Zero Residues’ project, responding to the technical reality of sustainable production without pesticide residues. In this process the fruits receive no specific treatment during growth and ripening, so remain free of chemical products. “In the globalised world we live in, demand is becoming more and more specialised. So we try to respond to each demand. We make a concerted effort to achieve high quality fruits and a standard packaging that takes into account the specific needs of each market. We also take steps to ensure proper management of cooling and transport so that the fruit reaches the end customer in perfect condition”, explains Báñez. Subsequently, we have gradually included internal protocols that ensure stringent food safety management, phytosanitary checks, regulations and certified production quality, traceability, social policy, equality standards and many more factors that guarantee delivery in optimum conditions.  

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El Pinar launches 3 new strawberry varieties

el pinar

Vivero El Pinar, a Segovian company specialising in introducing new varieties of strawberries to the market, is now well into the development phase of three new varieties bound to appeal to farmers in southern Europe and North Africa. On one hand – available only to Surexport and SanLucar Fruit in Spain, Portugal and Morocco – we have the BG4316-Victory: “An early variety, highly productive in with very good post harvest features”, explains Manager Mario Esteban. It is already being grown commercially and “with very good results, both for farmers and the markets, where it has been catalogued from the outset as high quality fruit according to their standards”, adds Mario. 
In addition, they have the BG4315-Liberty, an early mid-season variety. This cultivar is characterised by its medium size, good flavour and Brix degree, as well as its conical shape and light red colouring. “This is its first trading season, while it is also being tried out with good results from farmers in several countries”, continues Mario. The El Pinar spokesman adds that it has been very well received in supermarkets. The third variety is BG4352, still in the research phase. It is a very early variety, large sized fruit with a pleasing colour and good Brix level.
Splendor is the most well-known variety from El Pinar and the most widely planted in Spain, accounting for roughly 40% of strawberry crops. This season they have gone from 180 million plants to 200 million, 13% more than the previous campaign. The firm’s presence is also growing in countries such as Italy, Greece and Morocco. 
El Pinar continues to work towards main objective: to find the variety that best suits the farmer’s conditions. MP

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Favorita launches new web page

Since last year, Favorita has been engaged in an intense marketing promotion campaign.  It included their logo renewal and now the launch of the new web page www.my-favorita.com .  My Favorita® web page is dynamic, colorful and with all the information that the costumers need to know about the product including videos, gallery and their latest development in terms of Social and Environmental responsibilities.  This initiative continues the project that started last year and which on one hand will guarantee the excellent quality that has always characterized the fruit from Favorita and on the other will help create a greater bond with the final customer through a friendlier, more modern image.  Besides the marketing campaign, Favorita keeps working intensively in developing the business all around the world, specially strengthening the relations with supermarkets and getting involved with the needs to the final customer.  One important focus is in special packages for fresh bananas which can be performed at their own farms with the follow up and dedication that special products need and that can only be achieved by controlling every single step in the chain.  Favorita has been for many years leader in distribution and marketing of Ecuadorian fruit and controlling the chain from the very beginning at the production until the delivery of the container at destination.

 

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Grufesa implements Food Safety Control Chain in all their acres

100% of the 440 hectares Grufesa has given over to strawberry plantations this campaign come under the Bayer Crop Science Food Chain Partnership project. The Moguer cooperative signed up to the initiative two years ago with a view to assuring the end consumer a product of unique quality that is safe, healthy and sustainable. Thanks to this monitoring system, Grufesa will meet the highest requirements for pest and disease control in crops, which means even more natural fruit from the consumer. Food Chain Partnership applies a series of directives in the plantations designed to control pests and diseases, which enables Grufesa not only to remain below the legally stipulated Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), but also to fully comply with the most stringent standards set by European large-scale distribution. To this end, technicians from Bayer Crop Science, along with Grufesa’s Technical department, have developed a crop protection programme based on the introduction of new control guidelines to help choose the right products to ensure good, healthy crops from among the several active ingredients and zero residue treatments available on the market. As Grufesa Manager Carlos Cumbreras explains, Food Chain Partnership is “one of the programmes that come closest to a totally natural production process, and so meets one of the main demands of clients at practically all destinations, benefiting all stakeholders in the chain, including the environment.”  This programme is the nearest you can get to a fully biological production. As Grufesa will demonstrate during their participation at the next Fruit Logistica expo – they will be located in Hall 18, stand A- 02G – this programme is a differentiating element against competitors mainly from other points of origin.

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Grupo Rosegar: 60,000 tons of citrus fruit and vegetables

grupo Rosegar

The family group’s supply comes to 35,000 tons of prepared produce, including 25,000 tons of citrus, 6,000 of peppers and 4,000 of melons. While the citrus supply is mostly made up of about 20,000 tons of lemons, there are also oranges, clementines and grapefruit, which account for another 5-6000 tons. Added to this, there are around 20,000 t of other vegetables from growers associated with the group, adding to the group’s product range with more tomatoes, lettuces, cucumbers, zucchini and watermelon. They have also started to produce their own tomatoes as of this season, having acquired 17 ha of greenhouses in the Nijar area.  
Germany is their biggest market, accounting for 60% of their exports. Then comes Austria with 15%, then the Nordic countries with 20%, and then France with 5%. They also operate their own transport fleet of about 20 trucks so as to control the entire supply chain. They meet the quality protocols required by customers in the field, the warehouse and in terms of the workplace, with the IFS, GlobalG.A.P., QS and GRASP certifications.
They also take part in the “Bayer Food Chain” program in order to minimize the risks of pesticide residues. “Our goal is to cultivate as safely as possible, with a minimum of waste, optimizing the comprehensive management of our crops,” Daniel and Jose Antonio Rosero explain. “We intend to continue expanding our range, ensuring the utmost safety for our products.”