The Dominican Republic’s location is optimal for exporting pineapples into the Eastern coast of the United States. Príamo Molina, the logistics and commercial operations manager at Asopropimopla, says: “The Dominican Republic has a logistical advantage. Our shipments could reach Miami in 2-3 days, and New York in 5-7 days. This is faster than the Mexican and Costa Rican products, so the U.S. market would be ideal for us.”
The company has a unique concept, Molina explains: “Asopropimopla is a non-profit association with the purpose of contributing to the development and improvement of the living conditions of the members in our community – politically, economically, socially, and culturally. We work in one of the poorest areas in the Dominican Republic, and have provide an abundance of employment opportunities in the area with 40 direct workers, 150 indirect works and 392 producers, including many women. Every grower is akin to a social partner and all of the products are produced according to singular specifications and standards.”
The company shipped its first container of Sweet Crown pineapples to the U.S. two weeks ago, but they don’t have any steady clients yet. Molina says: “We have potential clients, but we are still in the talking stage right now. In the past it has been difficult for us to export to the U.S. because we don’t produce year-round yet. We do have the ability to produce year-round, so we are currently working really hard to develop a schedule that will allow us to produce year-round so that we can find good programs in the U.S.”
Currently, the company’s main market is in Europe. “We export 20 pallets per week to Spain, Italy, and France. The Dominican Republic has the advantage of having many tourists visit us, and so there are a lot of flights that are constantly going back and forth between us and Europe. This allows us to export easily through air-freight, which is what the European markets demand. The issue is, however, that the demand in the European market isn’t very high. Our current projection surpasses the demand and that is why we are looking to expand our exports into the United States.”
Molina concludes: “I believe that the Dominican pineapple could easily compete with the Costa Rican and Mexican products, I believe in the quality of our product. The Dominican Republic has more hours of daylight than these other countries, and this is really good for the pineapples and helps develop the sweetness of the fruit. Pineapples grow exponentially, so our company has tremendous room for growth. That is why we are looking for business partners in the U.S. that want to grow with us, we want to be able to grow together.”
For more information: 
Príamo Molina
Asopropimopla
Tel: +1 809 963 0131
Email: p.molina@asopropimopla.org
www.asopropimopla.org