In response to producers' demand to be able to market their apples for as long as cooperatives and growers' organizations, natural storage specialist Janny MT has turned its attention to conservation issues in short distribution channels. Benoit Janny, the company's managing director, describes the “many advantages” of flexible controlled atmospheres for producers.
Janny MT has been helping companies in the short distribution chain since 2009, a sector which accounts for 50% of its operations.
Short distribution channels: a growing consumer trend
“The short cycle market has been gaining popularity. 20% of French fresh fruit and vegetables are currently marketed using this method. Household enthusiasm for this method of consumption shows no signs of abating, and growers compete with each other to come up with new ideas for marketing their fruit: farm stores, farm sales, small farming associations (AMAP), farm drives, online orders. Some growers even market 100% of their production through short distribution channels.”
“The fresh fruit section is an essential part of any producer store, accounting for 7 to 8% of the total sales, on average. Apples are the fruit with the longest shelf life (9 to 10 months a year), accounting for 30% of fresh fruit department sales by value and 50% by volume,” explains Benoit Janny. “In total, only 4% of French apple production is marketed via direct sales, but the potential is immense, as consumers are currently looking for top-quality local apples all year round. The market share of short distribution channels is set to increase over the next few years.”
“From March onwards, the number of apple varieties on the shelves decreases, and some producer stores are no longer able to offer apples from May onwards. The challenge is therefore to be able to offer local, quality apples to consumers from March to June, in order to cover the demand,” explains Benoit Janny. “On short distribution circuits, it is often more interesting to increase the sale of fresh apples and pears than to process them at the end of the season, due to the loss of quality after several months of normal cold storage.”
What are the advantages of using controlled atmosphere in short distribution channels?
- 2 to 4 additional months of sales:
“Depending on the earliness of the fruit, producers have apples on sale until March on average, with conventional cold storage. With Janny MT’s controlled atmosphere, quality apples can be sold right through to the month of June, enabling maximum value to be added to production, at more remunerative prices. Janny MT technology works by lowering the amount of O2 in the modules, which results in optimal, long-lasting fruit preservation.”
- Limited weight loss:
“The process maintains the right relative humidity to prevent loss of product weight (<1%). For products sold by weight, the economic gain is obvious! Given that in conventional cold storage, weight loss can be as high as 10%, for a product sold at 1.80€ [1.96 USD], Janny MT modules enable producers to save up to 18 cts/kg sold [0.20 USD/kg]. We estimate that 7% of weight loss is avoided with the Janny MT module, compared with normal cold storage (21kg of apples per pallet).”
- A response to the need for flexibility and destocking:
“In farm stores, adaptability and flexibility are the guiding principles. Supplies must be constant and regular to satisfy customers. The need for flexible destocking is specific to short distribution channels, and Janny MT modules can meet this specific requirement. For example, 1 to 5 tons of apples are sold every week in farmers' stores. If we consider that a Janny MT module can hold 300 kg of apples, opening 1 to 4 bins a day is enough to supply the store with fresh, quality apples.”
“Wide range and attractive shelf space”
“Generally, consumers want to be able to choose. That is why farm stores offer an average of 8 to 10 varieties a year on their shelves. But from March onwards, the number of varieties available to the customer drops to the point of running out of stock, which can happen very quickly for outlets not equipped with controlled-atmosphere preservation systems. Janny MT modules enable 7 to 8 apple varieties to be offered until June. Farmers' stores can thus meet the consumer demand for apples all year round.
“One of the major challenges for the apple sector in short distribution channels is to enable the apple section to remain attractive right until the arrival of summer fruit, while offering consumers a wide choice of varieties. A wide range and quality are what makes the reputation of farm stores. The period from March to June is an interesting one to develop, and can enable short distribution channels to boost their sales. The Janny MT modules are a strategic tool to achieve these objectives.”
For more information:
JANNY MT
La Condemine 71260
Péronne France
Phone: +33 (0)3 85 23 96 20
[email protected]
www.jannymt.com