Morrisons is set to acquire a banana ripening site from Del Monte based in Boston, Lincolnshire.
The big-four retailer says the acquisition will allow it to offer improved quality and consistency on its banana lines, and to secure greater control over banana maturity to ensure the fruit lasts longer.The supermarket's bananas will be ripened at the in-house facility rather than through a third party.
The acquisition, which is a joint venture with exotic fruits importer Global Pacific, of the 58,000 sq ft factory will become fully operational by the autumn and create up to 80 new jobs in the local area.
'Bananas are the most popular fruit in the UK so it makes sense for Morrisons to apply its unique approach to food production to simplify the supply chain, cut out costs and improve quality,' said Dalton Philips, chief executive of Morrisons.
The banana facility is the sixth addition to Morrisons’ manufacturing business since 2010, following on from a produce site in Worsley and FlowerWorld in Derby. The Bradford-based retailer says that almost a quarter of the food it sells is produced in one of its UK manufacturing sites.
Chris Kilvington, CEO of Global Pacific, says the exotics firm will run the Boston-based factory. He explained: “We are delighted to be entering into this exciting partnership with Morrisons, and look forward to the opportunity to set up and run the site on their behalf.”
Philips added:“Adding this ripening factory to our business means we will be able to mature bananas more precisely to our customers different needs.”
