From field to fork
Our story begins in the field.
We know what we grow
To us, the entire story begins at the field. Rather than outsourcing our ingredients, we chose to grow them ourselves. Staying hands-on is how we’ve built our expertise. We’ve discovered the best terroirs around the world and that’s where we chose to locate our fields and factories, staying in close cooperation with the local experts.
We grow different fruit varieties to provide the best match for diverse applications within the food industry. Finally, we preserve fruit in its purest form: by flash-freezing it at peak ripeness within a very short time from harvesting, we can share fruit of a naturally perfect color, taste and texture.
The pineapple journey
Follow the journey of our supersweet pineapples from Costa Rica
01. Planting in Horquetas
The crowns of our pineapples are planted in rich volcanic soil. They enjoy 230 days of sunshine and more than 200cm of rain per year, so no additional water is needed.
02. Growing
The pineapples are grown on a plantation of which 200ha (or 1/3) is preserved as protected rainforest, to stimulate biodiversity in the area.
03. Harvesting
Pineapples are grown and harvested all year round. One pineapple plant gives two fruits; one after 12 months, and one after 24 months. The pineapples are harvested at peak ripeness, to achieve greater sweetness and perfect colour.
04. Peeling and cutting
Peeling and taking out the core of the fruit is done semi-manual to ensure minimal food waste. The crowns are planted to grow new pineapple plants, and the peel and core are sold to juice makers and fed to livestock on our plantation. The remaining fruit is cut into chunks or tidbits.
05. Flash freezing
The pineapples are frozen within 72 hours using IQF technology, to retain the nutrients optimally.
06. Transporting
Frozen pineapple is a sustainability champion! Without crown, peel, and core, it takes 60% less volume than fresh produce. So we can transport a whole lot more pineapples to you in one trip.
