The Corona pandemic continues 
to leave its mark and even a large and globally networked company like the Swiss Frutco AG is not immune to the consequences of the pandemic. "Signing long-term contracts for containers is difficult because the entire supply chain has changed due to Corona," said Frutco AG CEO Frank Hofer. The shutdown there caused a six-month delay in production, as machines could not be set up, let alone started up, and technicians were not allowed to travel. Despite this delay, customers did not have to wait for their deliveries, as Frutco has a large warehouse for mashed bananas in the Netherlands.
In addition, much of the mango crop from India, which is also supplied to Frutco, was destroyed by a cyclone that raged there. Mangoes from Peru and Mexico are also waiting in the wings as they await offers from India. Nevertheless, Frank Hofer and Claudia Lauener Hofer, COO of Frutco AG, anticipate increasing sales for their mangoes. This success is still expandable for other exotic fruits such as guavas and avocados.
Banana plant in Colombia. Photo: Frutco AG
New banana plant in Colombia
Frutco AG is also pleased with its new plant in Urabá, Colombia. Surrounding the plant are a correspondingly large number of banana farms, which drive the processing of bananas. 60% are applied to the processing of baby food. "We operate controlled cultivation there and can ramp up capacity from 24,000 mt to 40,000 mt," Hofer said. "What is certain is that avocados will be processed next."
100% sustainability by 2030
Among other things, Frutco AG is a
member of the Sustainable Juice Covenant and has set itself the goal of being 100% sustainable by 2030. According to Lauener Hofer, "We can draw many fruits from our own production. It's important for many multinational companies that we, as their supplier, also commit to the 2030 Agenda so we can support them in their efforts to be 100% sustainable by 2030."
According to Lauener Hofer, most of the companies Frutco works with have already set their own sustainable goals anyway: "When you talk to multinationals these days, 50% of the conversations revolve around sustainability."
Food made from banana fiber
For Frutco, sustainability is also related to the recycling of the entire fruit. Says Lauener Hofer, "We have 30,000 tons of banana peels at our plant. From this, we will produce fibers that can be added to various foods, such as meat, baked goods, etc."
At the end of January 2021, Frutco AG had announced that it would cooperate with Fooditive B.V. to produce sweetener from banana peelings. However, this cooperation was terminated prematurely; the initiated sweetener production will still be pursued.
For more information:
Frutco AG 
Weite Gasse 26
CH-5400 Baden /Switzerland
Tel: +41 62 849 99 60
Fax: +41 62 849 99 70
E-Mail: info@frutco.ch