Company buys stake in French start-up that uses Class 2 fruit to produce ready-to-eat avocados for the foodservice sector
Halls has acquired a stake in Infuseo, a French start-up manufacturing prepared ripe-and-ready avocado products for the foodservice channel.
Announcing the move on 29 September, International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction, Halls said: “Infuseo has become known for its vision for healthy, environmentally friendly food. This is embodied in its new product range, Naked Avocado: Fresh, prepared avocados, ripe and ready to eat with a shelf-life of more than 30 days, free of preservatives”.
Under the tagline “Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Waste!”, Naked Avocado offers 100 per cent fresh avocado, free from preservatives, acidifiers, or additives, presented in transparent packaging.
Recent studies indicate that 34 per cent of all avocados purchased by consumers, chefs, and caterers end up in the bin. Furthermore, an untold number of potential customers are discouraged from purchasing the fruit due to past unsatisfactory experiences and 5-15 per cent of avocados are discarded daily across major retail and foodservice channels, contributing to the global food waste crisis, highlighted by the United Nations, which estimates nearly half of the fruits and vegetables produced worldwide are thrown away each year.
Halls said its partnership with Infuseo reflects its commitment to sustainability and its mission to reshape the narrative around food waste.
Under the agreement, Halls supplies avocado sourced from its global Responsibly Sourced Network and ripen the fruit in France. Infuseo then prepares the fruit and apply High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology is to produce fresh, ripe and ready to eat avocado with one month refrigerated shelf-life.
“Our vision is where no avocado goes to waste, and consumers can delight in the perfect avocado experience every time,” said Paul Devlin, managing director of Halls International. “The Naked Avocado offers the foodservice sector a key opportunity to reduce waste and maximise profit and will establish deeper trust with the consumer. This product development also expands the market for Class 2 fruit which may be imperfect on the outside but perfect below the skin.”
Marceau Vidrequin, CEO of Infuseo, commented: “We are very proud of the partnership with Halls especially as we share the same values and vision for quality, sustainability, and innovation.
“The agility of our team to innovate combined with Halls’ avocado production, sourcing and marketing expertise will facilitate our growth aspirations and help meet the requirements of each market and sector.”
The Naked Avocado product is presented in clear plastic packaging, which remains the preferred option to preserve quality and freshness of the fruit, helping to realise the target of reducing food waste. In line with the sustainability objectives a circular model is adopted where the packaging uses 50 per cent recycled content.
“The partnership between Infuseo and Halls marries their respective expertise to redefine the avocado experience for consumers, chefs, and caterers, alike – ripe, ready, and responsible,” Halls said.
Halls with present The Naked Avocado range will at next week’s Fruit Attraction in Madrid.
