BanaBay has expanded its portfolio to include pineapples.
The BanaBay pineapples will be of MD2 Golden variety and will be sourced from plantations in Ecuador, where the company will have its own dedicated hectares.
The move will give BanaBay more control over size, colour, brix and acidity of fruit, while delivering the same direct sourcing advantages to customers.
Birmingham-headquartered BanaBay made the decision to source pineapples following its launch in the US, where, according to president of North America operations Tom Burke, there is high demand for the fruit.
Commenting on the move, BanaBay managing director Mark O’Sullivan, said: “We are very excited about the start of our pineapple business; the introduction of this new line was initially driven by our commitment to supporting Tom Burke and his team in developing the US market, but the news has also been positively received by customers around the world, including New Zealand and Malta.”
An initial container is due to arrive in New Zealand and will be trialled by leading supermarket chain Countdown, which already stocks BanaBay bananas.
A further container is heading for the United States, and O’Sullivan confirmed that there is also an opportunity to supply pineapples to wholesale partner Mafimex in Malta.
BanaBay pineapples currently have Global GAP status, with further ethical and sustainable accreditations in the pipeline to bring them in line with the other BanaBay produce.
An interview with O'Sullivan is set to appear in the May issue of Eurofruit.
