Leading Mexican avocado exporter Mission Produce is crediting Maersk Line’s latest controlled atmosphere (CA) system with extending the shelf life of its offering in Asian markets.
Ideally, Mission avocados arrive in the Far Eat with a shelf life of around 10 days. The company’s sales export manager Roberto Rodriguez said this can only be achieved through efficient CA management, with Maersk’s Star Cool CA reefer containers currently the best cold chain solution on the market.
“Our experience is that the Star Cool CA system provides the longest shelf life and highest reliability compared to other CA systems on the market,” Rodriguez said.
Mexican avocado exporters established a foothold in the Japanese market during the late 1980’s, with the majority of consignments sent via air freight.
Rising production and air travel costs, along with an increased need for cold treatment to meet imposed quarantine restrictions, has seen a greater reliance on sea freight in recent years.
Bulk vessels were trialled for a season but compared to today’s refrigerated containerised markets this mode of transport requires additional logistical management.
For example, failure to pre-cool all avocado loads to around the same temperature would in turn break the cold chain, prompting increased investment in the development of CA systems.
“We have been exposed to competitive control and modified atmosphere technologies over the years and we believe it is a very effective method,” Rodriguez says.
“Overall we prefer the Star Cool CA reefer containers based on historical performance and quality control.”
