Del Monte comincia le spedizioni via mare di quarta gamma agrumicola
Il comparto prodotti freschi della Del Monte ha cominciato in febbraio le spedizioni via mare di quarta gamma agrumicola .
La gamma dei prodotti include il pompelmo ruby red, il pompelmo bianco, arance Valencia e mix di questi frutti.
Rielaborazione Fruitecom ©
Articolo originale in inglese
The Packer:
Del Monte starts shipping fresh-cut citrus
By Tracy Rosselle
(Feb. 25) CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. began initial shipments of its long-awaited fresh-cut citrus products in mid-February.
“After a long process, we finally got the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) approval to start processing at the Plant City (Fla.) facility seven to 10 days ago,” John Loughridge, Del Monte’s vice president of marketing, said
Feb. 19. “We had our first couple of test orders just this week.
“There are still some bugs to figure out. It’s difficult to take a small, lab-type process that’s producing pounds and turn that into tons, but we’vemade tremendous strides.”
TWO RETAILERS
Initial customers working with Del Monte as it begins its testing phase of the fresh-cut citrus program include two retailers – one a national account
with stores in the Southeast and the other a regional chain in the area,Loughridge said.
The products include ruby red grapefruit, white grapefruit, valencia oranges and mixtures of that fruit, he said. Exact package sizes and price points
will be determined as production ramps up and consumer preferences are identified, he added.
“We know we need an individual size,” Loughridge said, noting a likely pack
will be in the 5-ounce to 8-ounce range. Another pack size, to serve more
than one person, could be in the 16-ounce to 20-ounce range.
Foodservice packs may come in 2½-pound or 5-pound containers, he said.
Providing fresh-cut citrus to foodservice buyers, in fact, could be where Del Monte makes much of its early headway on the program.
“I think it’s going to be a simple calculation for a foodservice operator,”Loughridge said, referring to portion control and plate costs. “That’s a business decision that can be made quickly. With retail, you’re talking about changing shopping patterns. It’s like with bagged salads when they
first came out. You have to have a good product and good value.”
STATE INVOLVEMENT
Fresh Del Monte first inked a deal with the Lakeland-based Florida Department of Citrus in October 2001 for long-term rights to proprietary peeling technology. The department expects to recover the $1 million it
spent developing the technology by charging Del Monte royalties over the course of its five-year contract, which contains a five-year renewal if Del Monte meets performance thresholds, according to the department.
Del Monte has spent more than a year converting the department’s prototype machinery into an industrial application capable of churning out heavy volume, Loughridge said.
One thing the company will explore, before it considers installing fresh-cut citrus machinery at any of its other processing facilities around the U.S.,is just how much territory can be supplied from Plant City.
Not satisfied with supplying customers in Florida and Georgia only, Del Monte would like to distribute fresh-cut citrus to buyers throughout the Southeast, Loughridge said, noting the 10- to 12-day shelf life of the products should help, much as it does for fresh-cut pineapple.
“We’ve made a sizable investment, but we need to explore what the market is going to be for this,” he said.
Fresh Del Monte’s recent acquisition of Dallas-based Standard Fruit & Vegetable Co. Inc., meanwhile, could eventually spur growth in the firm’s fresh-cut vegetable offerings. Loughridge said Standard’s foray into fresh-cut in the Dallas market was new and fairly small, but one thing the company has brought Del Monte is a sourcing and repacking capability on
tomatoes and other core vegetables that’s among the finest in the industry.
“As to how we can discover some of those synergies – that’s very exciting to us,” Loughridge said. “What (Standard) brings to the party creates a lot of interesting possibilities.”
Del Monte already is producing sliced and diced tomatoes at its Chicago facility, he said, as well as its Portland, Ore., facility, which boasts a heavy foodservice clientele.
