"Pineapple area grew to almost 300 hectares”"

Pineapple is an important product in Costa Rica. Pinaalbo has been specialised in this exotic since 2014. “Pinaalbo is a family company. At first we were just growers, but by now we’ve also become exporters. My father saw a chance to grow, and he expanded the area over the years. We grew considerably especially in the 2004-2012 period. To that end, we invested in various things, such as our own packing facility. We have a large capacity, and we can ready eight containers per day,” says Juan José Bolanos Herrera.

More customers
He indicates that during the initial stage, they supplied all their pineapples to one buyer. “That contract ended in 2012. We then made a choice to start focusing on new markets. Focus was on South America, and we started exporting to Chile. After that, we got customers in the USA and the UK.” Pinaalbo started working on its international market approach through 2014, and in 2015 started working with Chiquita. “After that, we got more buyers in Turkey and the USA. We’re increasingly focusing on more European countries.”

Pinaalbo’s production area grew from 180 to almost 300 hectares between 2012 and 2016. “Our mission is to supply standardised, quality pineapples in a sustainable, innovative and responsible manner. Keeping in mind the environment, society, and the families working for us.” The owner indicates Costa Rica has a perfect climate for growing pineapples.“The combination of atmospheric humidity, soil, sun and infrastructure is just right. This ensures the production of sweet pineapples. We hope to continue this activity in coming years, and to grow even more. We’re still looking for partners in Europe to work with.”

Crownless
According to Juan, they’ve sent many crownless pineapples to the UK. “In 2014 and 2015, the volume of crownless pineapples for that market was very large. The share became smaller after that, and currently it’s about 30 per cent of the total share. Seventy per cent of the pineapples we send are with crown on to wholesale and supermarkets.”

Coconuts and rambutan
In 2016, the company produced 1.5 million boxes of pineapple. “We export 40 per cent of our volume to Europe and 60 percent to USA. In coming years we want to grow by about 20 percent in volume each year of the total production. That way, we can serve large players on the market, and we can stay one step ahead of competitors.” Besides pineapples, the company also produces and supplies rambutan and coconuts. “A growth in consumption is expected for both products. More and more Europeans are learning how to use coconuts and rambutan.”

For more information
José Bolanos Herrera
Pinaalbo
Tel: (506)2404-1511 - (506)2404-1106
Pital – san Carlos Costa Rica.
juan.bolanos@pinaalbo.com
www.pinaalbo.com