Halls continues to seek out new global avocado supply origins which are able to provide favourable parameters for all aspects of fruit production and post-harvest management.
As an avocado origin, particular regions within Brazil provide a favourable climate for production with suitable site elevation, soil, temperature and rainfall parameters all combining. To complement this favourable production, high quality fruit can be effectively shipped from Brazil to European markets by means of efficient packing facilities, road infrastructure, shipping ports and regular shipping schedules, and favourable transit times delivering fresh fruit with good shelf life.
This project was initiated in a pioneering partnership between Stephane Hellin, owner of ACMH International and Halls, global fresh produce business. The potential for an export program of Hass, from this particular farm, was identified in 2017 as a result of a strong and trusting relationship which developed naturally with the Ferreira family who are the owners of Campo de Ouro Farm situated in the Piraju region of São Paulo state.
It was evident that Ronaldo Morini Ferreira and his daughter, Ana Krishna, were longstanding, progressive and well respected producers within the Brazilian agricultural industry, adopting ground breaking horticultural techniques and focused management, all resulting in the production of superior quality Hass avocados in a conducive production climate.
For both Halls and ACMH International, it is imperative that Brazilian avocados are sourced responsibly from sustainable production practices where due process is carried out to ensure food safety, environmental conservation and social compliance criteria are all fully met.
Mr Stephane Hellin who is Franco-Brazilian has worked tirelessly on the ground to ensure the various specific post-harvest protocols, provided by Halls, have been followed exactly. The result has been the successful arrival of superior fruit into Halls' European facilities.
Halls realises the importance of offering support to their grower partners that extends beyond the standard parameters. “With our growth in global sourcing, we have recently appointed Graham Ballard to manage the development of our grower partners, in particular, new origins which support our supply strategy” says Paul Devlin, Managing Director of Halls International.
In the words of Stephane Hellin, “Two years of hard work between this three way partnership was only made possible by a common set of goals, trust and values which has resulted in the success of this project.”
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