Fruitnet.com's partner publicationsFRESH PRODUCE JOURNAL, EUROFRUIT, ASIAFRUITandAMERICAFRUIThave teamed up to publish a series of special interviews to coincide with the FIFA World Cup, featuring a member of the fresh produce industry from each of the 32 nations involved in the tournament.
Today, it's Monica Molineros of Ecuador's Favorita Fruit Company and Lorenzo Pileri of Swiss firm Eisberg ahead of their national teams' Group E clash later today (15 June):
What is your firm’s world-beating service or product?
Monica Molineros:Favorita provides world-class fruit grown to the most demanding standards in every field. We offer a wide range of packaging that meets the strictest criteria of different counties – practically tailor-made for each market.
Lorenzo Pileri:Our main products are washed salads. We sell them in more than 12 European countries. BBQ Grill Mix, which won the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award this year, is a new fantastic experience. Before Fruit Logistica, we sold it in Austria and Hungary; after winning the award we received many requests from different countries and this summer we will be present in other countries through new customers. We started with a few recipes and now plan to enlarge the range and build a compete line. We will certainly continue the innovation process that started in Berlin.
What does the World Cup mean to people in your country?
MM:Ecuador’s most famous sport is football, so the World Cup is a very important event. As we have qualified for the finals, expectations are running high. The whole country will be watching the Ecuador games, for sure.
LP:Events like these create a lot of expectation among the people. For our country, this is an important moment and we are sure we can achieve important results. We are proud of our team. We are a company of Swiss origin but with a European focus, and a business and market presence all over Europe. Each country will support its team, so we will also have an internal competition during the World Cup. The World Cup unites people and each match is always a party. People will arrange barebecues and parties, and will buy all of the right food for these types of event.
How do you think your national team will fare in Brazil?
MM:Ecuador has a very good team. We are well prepared and I’m sure WE will put in a very good performance. All the teams that are playing are very competitive, so we hope to see plenty of high-level football being played.
LP:We will be happy with every result because even to be in Brazil is a fantastic success.
