Getting it ripe: Wholesale, retail and foodservice strive to deliver ready-to-eat fruit
For produce retail stores and foodservice alike, ripening is a key part of the process of getting desirable produce to consumers. Although it doesn’t benefit shelf life, ripening — or pre-conditioning — delivers fruit ready to eat. After all, soft, ripe avocados or bananas are considerably more appealing than rock-hard products that are still a […]
How can fresh produce wholesalers adapt to the blurring of traditional lanes?
There was a time when each part of the supply chain stayed within a well-defined and mutually respected lane. Every link — grower, shipper, packinghouse, buying agent, broker, wholesaler, distributor, fresh-cut processor, purveyor, retail store, big box store, freight broker, common carrier — knew its exact function on the long road to get perishable agricultural […]
Fruit Logistica: New ripening innovations from Interko help save on energy
Netherlands-based Interko, which designs, manufactures and installs state-of-the-art fresh fruit ripening rooms, announced that it has cut the energy consumption of its flagship Ultimo rooms by a further 20 per cent, after launching the second generation of its revolutionary Reverso reversible fans. Ultimo’s design and technology also has been adapted to enable the room to be used […]
Avocado leader Mission Produce will dramatically double space in Dartford to take on mangoes
Mission Produce, Inc., a world leader in sourcing, producing, and distributing fresh Hass avocados, announced expansion plans for its forward distribution center in Dartford, England. This doubling ripening capacity enables the establishment of mango operations. The expansion, to be completed in Spring 2024, involves the addition of 50% more Mission Control ripening rooms, a mango-specific […]
Mission Produce ‘quickly advancing’ avocado ripening in the UK
Mission Produce, Inc., a world leader in sourcing, producing, and distributing fresh Hass avocados with additional offerings in mangos and blueberries, announced the advancement of its ripening process in the UK with AVOS Mini. This is a non-destructive ripeness control tool and innovative smart device that measures avocado ripeness and provides quality management insights. The […]
Mission Produce to install ripening technology in Dartford distribution centre
Mission Produce, Inc. has announced the testing results of its Mission Control ripening technology and management process, confirming its ability to accelerate avocado ripening and improve product uniformity. The new technology will be implemented for the first time in the company’s newest forward distribution centre in Dartford, England, which is anticipated to open in March of 2023. […]
Ripening is a science, but it also an art that is underappreciated
Ripening is an integral component of the fresh produce supply chain. Some of today’s most-consumed fresh produce items are ripened or conditioned at certain points in their product life cycle. Ripening has continued to evolve over time with advancements in technology, equipment and construction. As today’s consumer continues to become more dynamic and expects a […]
Return on hustle? Why wholesalers need to invest in both infrastructure and relationships
One of the distinctive characteristics of produce wholesalers that I have seen since joining Top Banana after leaving a Big Four accounting firm in 2020 is the different, yet collaborative, roles we play for shippers, retailers and customers alike. We act as agents to our shippers, partners to our retailers, and suppliers to all of […]
