"As was the case with avocados ten or fifteen years ago, papayas are still fairly unknown in Europe, although things are now changing," affirms Esperanza Rodríguez, sales manager at Tropical Millenium.
Just over a year ago, this Malaga-based company, specialised for years in the production and marketing of mango and avocado, decided to include papayas in its tropical range, as "we consider papayas a healthy fruit with great potential," she points out.
Today, Tropical Millenium considers itself a company that offers full solutions for the purchase, sale and marketing of avocados, mangoes and papayas.
The first thing that motivated them to work with papayas were their considerable health benefits, an aspect that is becoming increasingly important for European consumers. This fruit contains papain, which aids in the digestive process, as well as vitamin C, high levels of fibre, lutein, folic acid and antioxidants. Moreover, it's very light and every 100 grams only have 30 calories.
According to Esperanza, "if you combine efficient work in the field, handling and transportation to the shelves, papayas can be a unique and delicious fruit. The size does not determine the purchase decision, since many supermarkets and fruit stores sell them sliced in half. What is truly important to guarantee repeat purchases is its sweet, but not overbearing taste."
Tropical Millenium supplies papayas of the Intenzza and Formosa varieties to EU markets all year round. The fruit comes mainly from both the Canary Islands and other countries in Latin America. "Our priority is the quality and not the fruit's origin, even if we show special care and concern for our region," points out Esperanza.
At the same time, they are continuing their tests in Malaga and Almeria with papaya production in greenhouses. "The world's papaya production is high, with the tree being also one of the most productive per hectare. In the medium and long term, Malaga could become an important production area for papayas, as it already is for mangoes and avocados."
"Much remains to be done with papayas, although we have great expectations. For our part, we have already started communication campaigns to raise awareness and provide consumers with more information about the crop and the many ways to enjoy it. We will be strongly promoting this new addition to our range," concluded Esperanza Rodríguez.
For more information:
Vanesa Moreno
Tropical millenium
Camino del Higueral. s/n. Apdo 136. -La Axarquía.
Vélez Málaga. 29700. Spain.
T: (+ 34) 952 549 881+34 952 549 881
[email protected]
www.tropicalmillenium.com
