Juan Bonifacio and Luca Battaglio at Fruit Logistica 2015.
"We started a year and a half ago with the import of bananas, taking advantage of the trade channels we had with the Battaglio group in Italy and our suppliers in Ecuador. Then, 4 or 5 months ago, we started importing pineapples produced by AGROEDEN, which is also an Ecuadorian company," explains Juan Lastra, marketing director of COSUR.
The goals are to grow gradually, to set up ripening facilities in the future and to promote the Battaglio brand in the Argentinian market also for bananas and pineapple. We are already fairly well-established in the domestic market with apples and pears.
"The logistics process is very simple; we load the fruit in Guayaquil, unload it in Chile, and from there it is brought to Argentina. People are perhaps used to Costa Rican pineapples in Europe, but the truth is that we have found an excellent product in Ecuador, both in terms of Brix and calibre."
The Argentinian market is fairly new for pineapples and people are yet unaware about how best to use the fruit; that is why pineapples sold under the Battaglio brand include a label explaining how to peel and consume them.
"There are few importers devoted to this fruit; we started with a container every two weeks and the objective is to double this amount in the next four months. At present we are working with the markets of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Rosario and their surrounding areas."
Logistics in such a large country is a critical factor. Juan points out that once the imported volumes increase, they will be able to supply more distant markets nationwide.
"Both for bananas and pineapples we work with premium quality fruit; the same that is used in Europe and the U.S. The market still offers plenty of room for development and growth prospects are very good," concludes Juan.
More information:
Juan Bonifacio Lastra
COSUR S.A
T: +54 230 44 74 11
M: +549 11 4447 5878
j.lastra@cosur-ar.com