Halloween is famous for pumpkins, but one Irish grown pumpkin called ‘Patches’ is destined to become infamous following his amazing journey into space! Not content with resting on someone’s doorstep or sitting on a window sill, Patches is a pumpkin destined for a higher calling.
The amazing journey was captured to celebrate the launch of Total Produce’s new ‘TOP Fruit Hub’ App where it can be viewed or via http://bit.ly/PumpkinsInSpace. The beautifully shot video follows Grandfather Eugene Murray and his grandson Sebastian (2¾) from Greystones, Co. Wicklow as they endeavour to send Patches on a Halloween adventure unlike any undertaken by a pumpkin before.
By simply scanning the QR code on the pumpkin to bring them straight to the instructional videos available on the App, Eugene and Sebastian were able to carve out the perfect face to bring Patches to life. The video goes on to show how Sebastian and his granddad enable Patches to take one giant leap for pumpkin-kind.
A special rig was constructed to ensure Patches had a safe journey high above planet Earth. This included a 1600gm balloon filled with 3.5 cubic metres of Helium attached to the platform holding Patches. A specially mounted camera was also attached in order to record this epic flight, as well as a 5 foot parachute to ensure a safe return to terra firma for Patches and all the equipment.
In late September, Eugene and Sebastian watched with bated breath as Patches was counted down for lift off. On release he accelerated at a rate of 5 metres per second. Ultimately on the course of his journey, Patches travelled approximately 32km into the stratosphere, encountering temperatures as low as -20C. In fact during the course of the two and a half minute video the accumulation of ice on Patches is clearly visible. All the time throughout his ascent the balloon was continuing to expand until finally at approximately 30km it burst and from then on the only way was back down to Earth. This descent was tracked by a GPS chip embedded in the platform. The entire descent took Patches about 30 minutes and thanks to the safe deployment of is parachute, Patches made it home safe and sound if just a little dehydrated. Sebastian was waiting to find his pal Patches, his joy and wonderment clearly captured on film.
Total Produce’s App for smartphones, “TOP Fruit Hub”, celebrates finding the fun in fruit, alongside Sebastian and Patches’ adventure users of the App can look forward to enjoying over 150 videos in the recipe section, as well as fun interactive games for kids, competitions and a QR scanner that complements Total Produce Smartpacks of fresh fruit. With regular content updates the aim of the App is to act as a go-to resource for fruit enthusiasts as well as those looking for some inspiration when it comes to adding fun to fruit!
For Further Information contact: Vincent Dolan, European Marketing Manager, Total Produce | Email: vdolan@totalproduce.com
About Total Produce:
Total Produce is Europe's premier fresh produce provider. Marketing over 300 million cartons of fresh fruits and vegetables across 20 countries throughout North America and Europe, Total Produce provides the complete fresh produce basket, from the more familiar to the truly exotic. For more: www.totalproduce.com
Source: Total Produce
