16 years ago CI Frutas Commerciales started exporting banano bocadillo (also known as lady finger or baby banana) to Switzerland. It is small and sweet, which at first was a strange product for the Swiss market but today is consumed very well, said Jorge Vargas, manager of the company.
Although Vargas is not from the founding family, but an employee of the company, he recognizes that the family experience has positioned it as one of the most important companies in this market.
"Last year we didn't do that well, due to weather conditions. We lost about 67 tons in the year, but we are returning this year to recover production and the market. "
This is an export company essentially, because only those products that do not reach the high standards for export are sold in the internal market. "We do all this so that the fruit is not wasted," he pointed out.
For this product's production, the company has its own farm where between 30% and 40% of the production is sent to Switzerland and the rest is purchased from third party producers. But this baby banana is also sold in Italy and France.