Antonio Grasso, the import manager of tropical fruits at Frutteti Siciliani, discusses the current period of growth and change in Sicily's banana market. Frutteti Siciliani is a company that focuses on quality and direct control of every stage of the process, from import to ripening. "We started working with bananas in June of this year. In just a few months, we increased from two to almost five containers per week. This important result shows that customers recognize the quality of our product," Grasso says.
© Frutteti Siciliani
Antonio Grasso
Frutteti Siciliani has been operating in the fruit and vegetable sector for about fifteen years. The company has a sales network that includes stands in Catania and Giarre markets, as well as a wholesaler in Acireale. The company directly imports and distributes bananas throughout Sicily and parts of southern Italy. Frutteti Siciliani supplies the main wholesale markets in Messina, Palermo, and Siracusa, as well as in the southern Italian regions of Calabria and Apulia. Frutteti Siciliani handles purchasing, customs procedures, ripening, and the sales network.
Frutteti Siciliani also exports Sicilian products, such as oranges and summer fruits, to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
© Frutteti Siciliani
The company currently imports and distributes bananas from Costa Rica under the Darelle brand. Frutteti Siciliani holds the exclusive European rights to this premium brand. Darelle is our flagship brand. It is a high-end banana that is perfectly ripe and consistently sized. "We focus on offering a superior product, not the lowest price," Grasso emphasizes. In addition to Darelle, the company works with the Ecuadorian brand Novafrut, for which it holds the exclusive rights in Italy. Novafrut is also associated with high quality.
After only a few months, the results are in: sales are growing, there are nearly no disputes, and the brand's reputation is rapidly expanding. "Our company has secured a place among the sector's leading names, including Dole and Bonita. This achievement is a testament to the consistent quality of our products and service," Grasso adds. This has allowed us to double our volumes in a short time," Grasso adds.
© Frutteti Siciliani
Bananas are now a core focus of the company's strategy
"Our strength lies in achieving perfect ripening. We manage it in-house to guarantee a product that is ready to sell: well-ripened bananas, which the market demands," Grasso explains. The dedicated facility has five ripening chambers with the capacity to process 7,000 cartons per week, accounting for approximately 30-40% of Sicily's total demand.
© Frutteti Siciliani
Most of the bananas come from Costa Rica and Ecuador. They travel by sea in refrigerated containers to the ports of Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica and Gioia Tauro in Ecuador. From there, they are transported to ripening and storage centers via a network of flatbed trucks that can load two to three containers per day. The shipping lines used are CMA CGM for Costa Rica and MSC for Ecuador. Both are reliable partners for transporting goods at a controlled temperature.
© Frutteti Siciliani
Looking to the future, we aim to strengthen our presence in the Sicilian and southern Italian markets while maintaining high quality despite difficulties related to transport costs. "Due to international tensions and rising freight rates, we expect price increases, but we will not compromise on quality," says Grasso. "Our priority remains offering premium, consistent, and food-safe bananas," Grasso concludes.
For more information:
Antonio Grasso - Tropical Fruit Import and Export Manager
Sicilian Orchards
[email protected]
