Agroban Nordic started its operations in Helsingborg, Sweden, allowing the production of the Ecuadorian Banana Regional Corporation (Agroban) to reach that market with its own brand. The first container with fruit from the Maria Maria farm, which is located in the province of Los Rios, has already arrived in Sweden and, according to Matz Fahlander, the company's executive director, their goal is to imports six containers from Ecuador per week.
The project was born some three years ago, when Pernilla Wingårdh, the Marketing and Sales Director for Agroban Nordic, visited Ecuador, as part of a commercial mission organized by ProEcuador's Commercial Office in Sweden, and met the representatives of Agroban, their current partners in the country.
The banana plantations associated with Agroban that will supply the product to Agroban Nordic are: Maria Maria, San Jose, La Nueva Pubenza, El Guarumal, Tomas, and Clemencia.
The president of Agroban in Ecuador, Gustavo Marun, stated that they had held talks for more than two years with their Swedish partners and that they wanted to sell them a concept of sustainable production. "We are convinced that we will gain a space in the Swedish market, not only for the quality of our fruit, but also because it is socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable," he stated.
In 2016, Sweden imported Ecuadorian bananas for US $ 21.5 million. Up to October 2017, banana exports amounted to US $33.4 million. Ecuador is the second biggest supplier of bananas to the Swedish market, behind the Dominican Republic.
Source: mexicoxport.com