His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent has praised Ghanaian fresh-cut fruit firm Blue Skies as, “an excellent example of British investment and confidence in Ghana, and a splendid example of partnership with the local community”.
The duke was speaking on his recent tour to commemorate Ghana’s 50th anniversary of independence, during which he was invited to inaugurate officially Blue Skies’s new 4,000m2, 20-tonne capacity facility, which is due to open at the end of May.
The duke met a cross-section of the 135 farmers Blue Skies works with, was greeted by key members of staff and then taken on a tour of the factory before listening to a briefing at the company’s conference centre alongside Ghana’s minister of trade and industry, Alan John Kyerematen.
“We explained to the duke and the minister the three major challenges we face,” Anthony Pile, Blue Skies chairman, told FPJ. “These include increasing high street competition in Europe, the linking of the Ghanaian currency to the US dollar and climate change, which is an area we are addressing by identifying our carbon footprint and how to reduce it.
“The Ghanaian government recognises that we are a showcase in developing Africa’s horticultural industry,” added Pile. “In the town of Nsawam, where we are based, Blue Skies employs around 25 per cent of the employable workforce, and we pay over four times the minimum wage, so we are really ploughing a lot back into the community.”
Blue Skies supplies fresh-cut tropical fruit, including pineapple, papaya, mango, passionfruit, and watermelon, to the UK and Europe.
“The great asset of our facilities here is that produce is grown right on the doorstep, making us the only fresh-cut fruit firm in the world to supply fresh-from-harvest product,” said Pile.“This new facility will be the largest fresh-cut factory in Africa, and will operate in addition to our current factory, which is about half the size.”
Blue Skies operates other sites in South Africa and Egypt.
No comments yet