From corporate social responsibility (CSR) to ships that use less fuel, a French company focused on West Africa is developing on several fronts of its produce business that yields €800 million (US$915 million) in annual sales. Speaking with www.freshfruitportal.com during Fruit Logistica in Berlin this month, Compagnie Fruitiere marketing director Paul Bouzon discussed new production and social plans for 2015.

In the highly speculative world of fruit trading, the Marseilles-based firm has taken the necessary steps over the course of decades to stabilize supply and offset political and climatic risks, supported by its own fleet of ships that travel weekly between Europe, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon.

Compagnie Fruitiere marketing director Paul Bouzon

Bananas and pineapples make up the lion's share of cultivation, along with smaller volumes of tomatoes and sweet corn, all grown over a total surface area of 9,000 hectares.

But it's not all about the fruit and logistics for the firm, which has a significant impact on the lives of some 17,000 employees in Africa.

"CSR is definitely a very serious and old commitment of the company. For example, our first hospital was built 17 years ago in Cameroon," Bouzon said.

"We are launching a new hospital in the Ivory Coast and the opening is planned at the end of March, so the healthcare of the employees, their families and the surrounding population is definitely a great concern for the company.

"The reduction of pest control products is also something we have worked a lot on...the climate is different between the countries and so are the production conditions. In Ghana we probably have one of the cleanest conventional bananas, using almost no protection products because there aren't many attacks on the trees."

He said that when pest attacks did happen on plantations, planes used GPS to only spray specifically where the product was needed, while strict rules were in place to prevent people from being in the area.

Outside of conventional crops, Compagnie Fruitiere has also made moves into fairtrade and organic fruit. It had Ghanaian farms fairtrade-certified in 2012, followed by Cameroon in 2013.

"We also now have a small crop of organic bananas in Ghana. It's quite new to us," Bouzon said.

He clarified that the organic farms were not conversions, but new plantations.

"In the coming future, we clearly have objectives to keep on growing our banana volumes, mainly in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast."

Long ships and North-South trade: bolstering logistics

Bouzon highlighted several steps taken to make Fruitiere's vertically integrated business more practical, including adjustments to four of its eight ships.

"These ships are called Sea Stars. They were cut in two, and 30 meters (98 feet) of cull were added inside to make them longer, so that they could spend less time charging and discharging at the port," he said.

"It's also a way to be more fuel-efficient and reduce the carbon footprint. Let's say you have 15 days - previously you'd spend two days on the port and just 11 days for the route, whereas now you have just one day on the port and two extra days on the sea. If you go slower you save energy.

"A few more hours or days being on the ship is not an issue, because previously it was 15 days anyway. So whether it's on the port or on the ship the fruit is still in a refrigerated place."

He said the company was also making the most of the return legs from Europe to West Africa.

"For example now is the big season for onions. Now that local production is coming into play, we are definitely bringing vegetables, so lots of onions and potatoes.

"Sometimes we even have more ships than ours because there is lot of demand for food products, and we also bring new cars from Europe."

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