"Beauty of Vegetables", one of the largest vegetable traders in Israel, has opened a new logistics centre in the Israeli coastal plain, near the Trans-Israel Highway. The centre will serve as a transit point for about 20,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables worth 80 million Sheqel per year (around 17.3 million Euro).
The executive director of Beauty of Vegetables (Yofi Shel Yerakot), Daniel Lev, said the logistics centre was established due to Pedaya's strategic location, with roads near the central latitude and longitude of the State of Israel and not far from the wholesale market and the distribution centres of large retail chains.
Beauty of Vegetables, which used to be formed exclusively by Ein Yahav growers in Arava, decided several years ago to provide marketing services to growers across the country. Today, nearly half of the production is marketed by the Association of Growers, with produce from Arava, Negev, the Galilee and the Jordan Valley.
The logistics centre covers an area of 5,000 square meters and is equipped with freezers and regular cooling rooms, which will help in maintaining the products' quality standards.
According to Lev, the new centre will also make it possible to absorb new growers wishing to take part in a joint promotional campaign which the Association is preparing for the upcoming season. Many growers feel it will allow them to escape the burden of dealing with wholesalers and retail chains and focus on growing top quality fruits and vegetables.