The Ecuadorian fruit and vegetable company Pimanfruit, which is based in Quito (Ecuador), is dedicated to the production and marketing of red and yellow pitahaya, tree tomato, sweet cucumber, naranjilla, and pomegranate. In the last campaign, the company's sales grew by 75% when compared to the previous year, stated Ana Marcela Armas Cuascota, managing director of Pimanfruit.
Slow sales due to COVID-19
“This is the first time that the company has faced a crisis like the one brought by the COVID-19; however, we continue to work with all necessary precautions. Red pitahaya is very popular abroad and we have managed to continue our sales. Since we belong to the food sector, we can move freely, but everything has become slower and more complicated, and prices have dropped considerably,” she said.
"Our main market is the United States, which accounts for 95% of our sales, but we are also present in Europe and Asia, which are two very interesting markets for our firm," she added. "We are also very interested in consolidating ourselves in Russia and the United Arab Emirates."
“Europe is one of the most important markets for the commercialization of exotic fruits because, unlike the United States, we have no restrictions for the entry of these products and we have a protocol for all products. We are currently exporting to Spain under the Gotti brand, which can be found in the main supermarkets,” she stated.
Regarding the profile of his clients, she said: “As long as we have good negotiation and both sides are serious, we have no restrictions regarding which sector our products are directed to. We currently sell our fruit and vegetable products in the largest supermarkets and in the smallest stores abroad.”
“Currently, we are focused on finding strategic partners to move large volumes since opening offices abroad requires complying with a series of requirements that we can probably complete in the long term, but we currently have allies with whom we have good relationships and excellent negotiations. At the moment there is no need to open branches,” Ana Marcela stated.
Experts in red pitahaya
“We started off on the right foot this year in terms of production and sales volumes; in the first quarter of the year, we exceeded the projected sales for 2020. Our star product is the red pitahaya followed by the yellow pitahaya. We specialize in maritime exports due to the great production of this fruit that we have in Ecuador. The future is very uncertain at the moment due to the situation that the world is going through, but we hope that everything will end and then we'll continue exceeding our expectations,” she concluded.
For more information:
Pimanfruit
San Camilo N52-77 y San Francisco
Quito (Ecuador)
Tel: (+593) 22820118
Cel:(+593) 995246330
ana.armas@pimanfruit.com