Pineapple prices, which have been marked by variability over the past two years, are finally recovering some stability and remaining at good levels. This is due, in part, to the fact that the number of pineapple producers has dropped, opening up some space in the market.
One of the companies benefitted by this situation is the Costa Rican Swiss Tropical, which owns 780 hectares; 250 for natural forests protected by an environmental plan and the rest (530) for pineapple plantations, with 90% of the production devoted to exports and the remaining 10% to juice manufacturing (which is also exported).
A market in which Swiss Tropical has grown significantly is in the crownless pineapples department, which are demanded, for instance, by European companies devoted to the production and sales of salads. This type of pineapple requires different agricultural techniques, such as an earlier harvest and a more careful calibre selection, in order to provide clients with the product they need.
The company has its own brand, "Roswitha", although 80% of the fruit is exported using those of its customers, leading to the production being distributed under more than 60 labels per year. This is part of a strategy that seeks to prevent focusing on a single client and to permanently have a large number of options available depending on the circumstances of the market. The labelling is carried out by Swiss Tropical itself at its packing plant in Costa Rica after receiving its clients' designs.
Within this diversification strategy, Swiss Tropical's exports are also quite evenly distributed. Of the 15-20 containers it produces on average, it ships 30% to the US, 30% to Europe and the remaining 40% is flexible, depending on the situation of the markets. It also has a policy of centralising the production as much as possible to be able to carry out more exhaustive controls on the quality of the product.
Putting the needs of the customers first is the most important aspect, and those seeking to ensure that they will receive the product in the desired conditions are faithful to Swiss Tropical. Its geographic location, with good logistics connections, allows it also to process all orders very swiftly.
For more information:
Swiss Tropical
Stephane Dähler
Costa Rica
Tel: +506 88860363
[email protected]
http://www.swisstropical.ch/
