Among all the fruit sold by Frugisol at Rungis is a pineapple variety that has made its place within a range of fresh products rigorously selected for their taste quality. It is the Del Monte Gold® Extra Sweet pineapple from Kenya. Fernando Da Silva, who has been in the business for 31 years, first gave this exotic fruit a chance in January 2019. "One day, a Del Monte sales rep came to me with this pineapple. I was a bit reluctant at first about the price he was offering, but I went ahead and decided to test it with our clients."
© Aurélie Pintat | FreshPlaza.com
Sales growing every year
A winning bet, since pineapple sales have grown steadily over the last 7 years. It is rare to find a pineapple of such high quality, which remains consistent for two weeks. Pineapples shipped by plane have been in great demand in recent years, but until now, we have not been able to find a reference that meets our selection criteria in terms of consistency. For the same product, the same reference, the same origin, the sugar levels and coloring can vary a lot from one shipment to another."
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There are always clients who recognize quality and can afford the price
Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet pineapples are also available from Costa Rica. "It is a tasty product, but not as tasty as the Kenyan variety, and the Costa Rican pineapple lacks consistency. Some of our clients are prepared to pay the price for the quality offered by Kenyan producers. Others would prefer a lower cost, but I try to make them understand that you cannot buy a BMW for the price of a Beetle... Of course, it is not easy in the current economic context to develop on the basis of a premium range, especially as the competition at Rungis gets tougher and tougher. But we are getting there slowly, and fortunately, there are always clients who recognize quality and can afford the price."
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Pineapple harvested by hand at optimum ripeness and dispatched within 48 hours
Fernando has gradually succeeded in building a regular client base for Del Monte Gold® Extra Sweet pineapple from Kenya because the product receives special attention from harvest to sale. "The pineapples are harvested by hand from Kenyan plantations at optimum ripeness. They are then transported by air within 48 hours of harvesting, meticulously packed in specially designed corrugated cardboard, both vertically (sizes 5-6) and horizontally (sizes 7-10), to ensure maximum protection of the fruit during transport. They are also certified in Sustainable Agriculture by SCS."
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Fruit selected for its premium quality
Alongside Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet plane pineapples from Kenya, wholesaler Frugisol offers a whole range of red fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries), a range of exotic products (mangoes, avocados, pineapples...), French peaches and nectarines and some asparagus, the only vegetable in the range. "All our products have been selected on the basis of quality, and they are aimed at clients looking for premium products."
For more information:
Fernando Da Silva
Frugisol
Phone: +33 (0)6 99 18 58 88
