A premium pineapple sold previously only to fresh-cut processors and foodservice operators is now available to retail. KBFruit, a fresh fruit importer and packer based in Exeter, CA, has partnered with Interfresh, Inc., an Orange, CA-based national fruit and vegetable supplier, to distribute the Costa Rican-grown Goldies-brand pineapple KBFruit brings in to the Port of Los Angeles.
“We get calls every day from retailers requesting a couple pallets of our crown-on pineapple, but we haven’t had the distribution channels to supply it. Now, we can deliver loads weekly to Interfresh who in turn can set up pineapple programs with retailers,” says KBFruit president Patrick Kelly.
Goldies pineapple are grown in Costa Rica with farms located from Sarapiqui to San Jose to assure year-round supply. The fruit is the industry-standard MD-2 variety, however it is KBFruit’s strategic vertical integration from the selection of growers to importation management that makes its pineapple superior. This strict supervision includes assuring sustainable growing methods, enhanced quality controls from field inspection and brix checks to packing house practices, rigorous traceability standards and overall corporate responsibility. KBFruit packs its crown-on fruit six to a 28-pound box with full-color graphics of its playful surfboard riding pineapple-logo for eye-catching in-store merchandising. Each pineapple is individually tagged with information about shoppers can pick a ripe fruit.
“KBFruit is a great fit for us. Logistically our facilities are near to the (Los Angeles) port plus we have a well-developed retail pineapple business already. We bring networking and distribution channels to retail to the table and they bring us something new, different and better, which is exactly what we look for. This is an exciting opportunity for us,” says Chris Puentes, president of Interfresh, Inc.
KBFruit and Interfresh are currently targeting the West Coast because this is where the vast number of retail requests have come from for Goldies. However, based on the success in this region, the companies plan to expand distribution nationwide. KBFruit currently imports Goldies for processing and foodservice through the Jacintoport Terminal in Houston, TX; Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, FL; and Penn Terminals in Eddystone, PA.
In the future, KBFruit is exploring the setting up programs for the growing of Goldies pineapple in Panama and Columbia as well as the Philippines. SweetGoldies.com
Source: PerishableNews.com
