When Paulina Carrera came to Germany from Ecuador 15 years ago to study Logistics, she was anything but enthusiastic about the taste of the fruits she found in the supermarket: "I only knew the many exotics which came to the table fresh from the tree in the sun, so I really had to get used to the fruit I got here." Fruits are not all exactly the same, as the founder of Hilli Fruits knows only too well.
In addition to the taste, the shelf life of the fruit was a problem for the entrepreneur. Because of the long transport time, exotics often spoil quickly after reaching the consumer. "That was my concern and I really wanted to find a solution: How can I help people here understand what is going on with the taste and nutrients of the fruit?" She then decided to freeze fresh fruits in Ecuador, right after they had been harvested, and then brought them to Germany. "And as it turned out, I was far from the only one here in Germany/Europe with this problem."
Hilli Fruits currently offers the frozen purees of the following fruits: guanabana, pineapple, passion fruit, blackberry, strawberry, physalis. The main customers are gastronomy and retail and accordingly there are different sizes of packaging. "For the end user, we have practical, small packages, which are portioned in the form of ice cubes and are therefore particularly practical for processing into, for example, smoothies or yoghurt. It saves the consumer from having to wash and cut them and the delicious, healthy fruits can be put directly into the meal." In order to bring the less well-known fruits, such as guanabana and physalis, in the focus of international customers, Hilli Fruits offers mixed boxes of three different varieties.
"Recently I was in Ecuador to visit my suppliers and logistics providers. It was very important for me to get an overview of the whole chain, as we work with very small farmers and it is not possible for everybody to get a bio-certificate, However, our cultivation in Ecuador is still purely organic: using chemicals is much more expensive than relying on natural adjuvants. For example, some farmers use natural citric acid as an insect repellent to grow mangoes and passion fruits."
Hilli Fruits was founded in November 2018 and was already present at the Fruit Logistica of February 2019: "The fair was a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to both German and international trade." In addition to many German prospects, we have contacts in Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and South Korea, and we are looking forward to hopefully soon deliver our goods there."
The young company already has big plans for the future. The company will soon launch a coconut and aloe vera drink. In addition, they are working on the production of organic lemons with local farmers in Ecuador. "The juice is good for sodas and other fresh drinks in summer," says Paulina Carrera.
For more information:
Paulina Carrera
Hilli Fruits GmbH & Co. KG
Auf dem Kiesel 25
66978 Merzalben
Telefon: +49 (0) 63 95 / 99 47 836
Mobil: +49 (0) 176 / 64 19 08 27
E-Mail: info@hillifruits.com