Earthbound Farm has launched a brand-new fruit business, called Earthbound Farm Fruit Division, to boost its organic fruit volume on a year-round basis.
Initially, the subsidiary will operate field offices in three countries – the US, Mexico and Argentina, according to a company press release.
The team will be led by organic produce industry veteran Ricardo Sardans, who, in his role as director of business development, aims to build on the close relationships he has already developed with fruit growers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We’re taking the model that’s been so successful for us in organic salads and vegetables and applying it in earnest to organic fruit – building a network of certified organic growers who strictly abide by regulated and inspected organic practices while also adhering to our own organic integrity program and rigorous food safety protocols,” said Charles Sweat, CEO of Earthbound Farm.
In addition to partnering with domestic organic fruit producers in the US, Earthbound Farm will supply fruit to US retailers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Europe, Haiti, Mexico and Peru.
The company said it is already shipping organic avocados, blueberries and cherries, and as part of the new programme it will offer organic mangoes as of this month, with popular Tommy Atkins and Kent varieties from Peru.
Mangoes will be quickly followed by apples and pears from South America.
To accommodate the growth, Earthbound Farm has greatly expanded its infrastructure with multiple loading facilities now established across the US to ensure quality, freshness and consistency of pack styles.
Earthbound Farm’s Fruit Division will offers a year-round supply of certified organic apples, apricots, avocados, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, figs, assorted table grapes, kiwifruit, lemons, mangos, assorted melons, nectarines, oranges, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, pomegranates, pomelos, raspberries, strawberries and tangelos.
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