ProNatura launches its 'Extrasweet' organic pineapple from Costa Rica. With this new product, the organic wholesaler wants to "win back consumers" by offering pineapples of "high taste quality from responsible production." Sébatien Darrort, ProNatura's supply and purchasing director for fruit and vegetables, reports on this first campaign and the development of a sustainable supply chain.
New Extrasweet organic pineapple from Costa Rica, size 8/9/10, minimum Brix 13°, shipped to Perpignan, joins the ProNatura organic pineapple range composed of: Cayenne lisse, Queen victoria, Extrasweet and Pain de sucre.
"Organic and responsible production from the best producing regions in Costa Rica"
ProNatura's Extrasweet organic pineapple is grown in accordance with responsible organic farming practices, in the northern plains of Costa Rica. "It benefits from an ideal tropical climate thanks to a rich terroir. Costa Rican soils are very rich in organic matter, the average temperature is 26°C and it rains between 1,200 and 1,500 mm a year, which allows the plantations to be watered naturally and thus limits the use of water for production. In Costa Rica, we work with a producer, a renowned and passionate agronomist, responsible for two pineapple production areas of 67 and 158 hectares, surrounded by dense forests. This is because, since its creation in 1987, ProNatura has been developing perennial sectors, selecting producers renowned for their know-how. This project is therefore based on a demanding agronomic model made possible by a combination of skills and a major, long-term, ongoing investment, which must be enhanced and promoted by a single marketer."
According to FAO, Costa Rica is the world's largest pineapple producer and ranks number 1 among pineapple exporters.
A promising first campaign
Planting started in March 2023 to harvest in April 2024. The first market launch in Europe began last month "as a test" until the end of this month. The 2024-25 season will begin next September. "Overall, we have been spared from the vagaries of the Costa Rican climate, avoiding the rain, drought or extreme temperatures seen in some areas. Our crops have been successful, with yields and quality on target. The pineapples are healthy, juicy, sweet and keep very well. With an initial target of 1,000 tons per year, ProNatura is looking forward to "solid development and plans to support demand gradually, while maintaining high standards."
Winning back the demanding consumer and market
As the second most widely grown tropical fruit in the world after the banana, organically grown pineapples, shipped by boat, "suffer from unsatisfactory quality and are treated as a mass-produced, low-cost product by upstream suppliers, to the detriment of value for money and consumer enjoyment."
This is especially true in the organic exotic fruit segment, where demand is strong and consumer expectations are high. "Organic consumers have a diversified diet, and fruit is no exception to this rule, but some organic consumers still have reservations about imported fruit. That is why we reassure our clients and consumers alike through our direct involvement and control of our supply chains, our monitoring of the application of best agronomic and environmental practices, the optimization of our logistics flows and their emissions, as well as our unfailing traceability."
For more information:
ProNatura
11 Av. des Savoies Bâtiment D6
94150 Rungis
Phone: 01 41 76 17 60
pronatura.com
organic-alliance.com