The U.S. pineapple market is a tough nut to crack, but Florida-based Ayco Farms is betting it can break through with the support of significant logistics investments and a serious grower partner in Costa Rica.

CEO Avi Nir tells www.freshfruitportal.com the supplier has historically sold high-end, quality pineapples to the European market, but now some of that volume will be sold closer to home with Ayco as the exclusive U.S. distributor.

"It's going to be year-round and we're not shy to commit to programs with retailers and foodservice customers," he says.

The sweet fruit meets the highest standards including traceability and Rainforest Alliance certification.

"It's not a cheap pineapple," adds Ayco sales executive Peter Warren, but he emphasizes the company will however be able to keep costs low through efficiencies, and bring value with a unique product.

"What drove Ayco to enter into pineapples is the fully integrated logistics. We have a fleet of trailers to move melons, which are seasonal, and we have spent multiple millions of dollars on our Pompano Beach facilities," he says. In a release, Nir also indicated Ayco had the ability to set up programs to other locations outside Florida.

Nir says the company brings in five million boxes of melons from its Guatemalan and Honduran farms each year during the season from November to May. The aim is that pineapples will bring some stability during more quiet periods, but Ayco will need to be on top of its game to become established.

"We agree that the market is competitive and saturated, but we believe that our ability to drive down our cost base, and the fact that we're bringing something that consumers haven’t seen before, will help us," says Warren.

In a release, Nir said the pineapples would have a guaranteed brix of no less than 13%, while the fruit in general had strong health-oriented benefits that retailers could bank on.

"Reports show multiple benefits of pineapples and this is a great marketing opportunity for retail," he said.

"Studies indicate pineapples aid digestive problems, boost the immune system, stave off vision loss, and contain beneficial fiber and Vitamin C. Our new pineapple program allows us to provide consistent value to our customers and give them a remarkable product to promote."

When asked whether Ayco would consider bringing in other products to utilize its supply chain, Nir does not indicate any immediate plans but is open to suggestions.

"If there's volume I'm interested," he says.

www.freshfruitportal.com