Costa Rica: university conquers organic market with fruitbrand Earth
Costa Rica: university conquers organic market with fruitbrand EarthWhole Foods is interested to increase imports
Tholen – Producers from Costa Rica take advantage of the initiative of the Earth University based in Guacimo-Limón (Costa Rica) to export pineapples, bananas and mangoes to Canada, US and UK. The main requirement to producers is that production being organic that is land and water free of pollution, no pesticides and no genetically modified organisms. The company Whole Foods which specializes in environment-friendly products, started the imports of Earth fruit last year. This year the imports were increased further.
At the moment, only pineapple achieves the standards of organic production for a 100%, but for bananas and mangoes it remains a challenge, especially given the pressure of the fungal disease black sigatoka.
According to Alex Mata, vice president of Earth, the idea behind the concept is to develop more technologies to ultimately reach a 100% organic production. Banana exports counted for 200,000 boxes last year and Earth expects to triple this amount this year. Mangoes exports were 60,000 boxes and expectations on pineapple are superior to 150,000 boxes. Benefits are reinvested in production research and scholarships for students explained José Zaglul, the University Principal.
The university intends to further develop the brand and to position it as an environment friendly product. Because of the increase of exports, the brand can become available in a larger number of stores. Whole Foods has 191 markets in the US, UK and Canada and was still looking for a supplier for tropical fruit, which it has now found in Earth, according to Walter Robb of Whole Foods Markets.
Publication date: March 27 2007
Author: Jahir Lombana
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com
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