Florida-based Freshway Produce has begun importing yellow dragon fruit from Ecuador for the US market. Yellow dragon fruit grow in the tropical regions of Ecuador and have two peak seasons throughout the year. One of them has just peaked and supplies are expected to be good for the next few weeks.
"We have just begun importing consistently for the past two to three weeks," said Jose Roggiero of Freshway Produce. "The peak season has just finished but we will have plenty of supply for the next four to five weeks. The majority of the yellow dragon fruit is grown near the Amazonas regions in Ecuador. There are two peak seasons, one in May/June and the other in November/December."
Short and limited season
This is the first year that imports of yellow dragon fruit have been allowed to enter the US, and Roggiero said that Ecuador is currently the only country certified to bring them in. "Ecuador is the only country allowed to bring the fruit in," he said. " Colombia grows yellow dragon fruit as well, although they are not permitted yet to export to the US. They are in the process to be granted permission soon."
"Freshway Produce are a vertically-integrated company, and source the fruit from our own family-owned farms in Ecuador," he continued. "Furthermore, Freshway is the only company that packs yellow dragon fruit in a Primus-GFS certified facility. We have good supply coming out of the tropics and this gives us the ability to be an important player during the season. The next peak harvest months will be in November/December. We also do the red-skinned, white flesh dragon fruit but that is currently out of season."
Yellow sweeter than its red counterpart
Although both are grown in similar conditions, growers are keen to point out that the yellow dragon fruit is sweeter than the red-skinned variety. They are hoping that this aspect, along with its striking appearance, will help give the yellow dragon fruit more exposure in the market. The key, they say, is to get them into the hands of customers and the taste and flavor will ensure repeat business.
"Yellow dragon fruit are extremely sweet and have a powerful taste that gives you a fantastic eating experience," Roggiero explained. "While the red skinned dragon fruit typically have a BRIX of between 12 - 14, the yellow variety can have a BRIX of 18 or higher. Once retailers give customers an opportunity to try them, they will return."
Retail ready
Freshway Produce have packed their yellow dragon fruit and made PLU sticker and barcodes ready for retailers. The company uses 10lb boxes and place a PLU sticker and barcode on each individual fruit. The fruit itself has a decent shelf life, with various shipping points helping to keep the fruit fresher.
"Our shipping point is Miami, FL and we send to the East Coast, Canada, Midwest, Southwest and West Coast," Roggiero shared. "The shelf life is strong enough that it can travel across the country without any problems. We are always looking to develop new client relationships, and offer promotional pricing to existing and new clients in every region. Freshway Produce is also a big supporter of the Eat Brighter Program developed by PMA and we strongly believe in educating consumers in our unique and varied product range. Therefore, to assist retailers further, Freshway Produce encourages them to work along with us and direct consumers to our Instagram page (@freshwayusa), where we feature health benefits, recipes and other ideas for consumers of yellow dragon fruit and our complete tropical product line."
For more information:
Jose Roggiero
Freshway Produce
Tel: +1 (786) 300-4485