"We'll increase our melon exports with innovative preservation systems"

BOLLO International Fruits has successfully started the first Piel de Sapo melon shipments from Spain to the main overseas markets. The Spanish company is currently the largest producer and marketer of Piel de Sapo melons worldwide, and is recognised as one of the most prestigious brands.

"In recent years, new commercial opportunities have opened up in different countries on several continents where Piel de Sapo melons were not yet popular, and the growth achieved has been very satisfactory. The biggest challenge is to offer consumers from other countries, who have a different cultural and consumer background, a unique, tasty and safe product. To this end, our production and development team searches for the most suitable varieties, adapting the productive processes for each destination," explains Juan Puchades, Overseas Exports Coordinator at BOLLO.

"Proof of the success of this strategy is the reputation that BOLLO melons have built in Canada, where it has become a leading name in the market. The fruit there is also available virtually all year round, since they can be supplied from the company's various subsidiaries in countries such as Brazil," says Juan Puchades.

BOLLO BRAZIL Prod e Com de Frutas LTDA has been exporting directly to more than 3 continents for more than 10 years, and its new challenge this campaign is its entry into China, where the new export protocol is expected to be approved soon.

According to Puchades, "the goal is to achieve a greater presence in Asian countries, where the brand already has a reputation for great quality citrus. This is a great challenge, since all these countries are melon producers and consumers. That is why offering top quality is fundamental for new and unique products. At the moment, the biggest problems we face in these destinations have to do with logistics. The search for the best routes and services is very important, but it is not always feasible."

Given its experience exporting Piel de Sapo melons by sea, a new agreement has been signed with the Mediterranean Shipping Company MSC.

"Shipments are being made to several destinations with new preservation systems. Several tests have been carried out with exports to different destinations to adapt the parameters to the product's physiology and thus create the ideal conditions to stop the processes of respiration, biosynthesis and ethylene sensitivity, ripening and senescence, fungal attacks and cold damage. This is expected to prolong the shelf life, reduce losses and achieve microbicide or insecticidal effects, improving the quality and safety, in addition to adding value to the product. Furthermore, these new systems are intended to replace or reduce the use of some necessary post-harvest chemical treatments, resulting in even greater food safety," says Juan Puchades.

 

"In the coming days, the first containers will be evaluated in the countries of destination and the results are expected to be very successful," he concludes.

This year, BOLLO has once again been presented with the "TASTE OF THE YEAR 2018" award, for which the consistency and differentiation in terms of taste and product quality are evaluated by consumers.