U.S. importer and distributor Giumarra has announced it will be working with Bengala Agrícola to offer a 12-month supply of premium-quality golden pineapple grown in the Cauca Valley, Colombia. 

In a release, the company said the first shipments were set to arrive on Sep. 4.

Fruit will arrive on the East Coast via the Ports of New York and Philadelphia, and on the West Coast via the Port of Long Beach.

"Our grower Bengala is offering the only certified Costa Rican MD2 golden pineapple seed planted in Colombia," said Giumarra's VP for global development, Tom Richardson.

"Our customers can trust the quality will be excellent and deliver a superior eating experience to consumers."

The pineapples will be available in single-layer cartons of 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 counts.

"Giumarra Wenatchee is excited to offer this specialty, high-value item to our North American customers every week throughout the year," said division manager Jason Bushong.

Bushong added the Cauca Valley's lower rainfall rate resulted in consistent availability of the tropical fruit. 

Bengala Agrícola farms 700 hectares, or more than 1,700 acres, of golden pineapples. The grower holds certifications from GlobalGAP, ICA, and BASC (Business Alliance for Secure Commerce).

Bengala's general manager Andrés Kuratomi told Fresh Fruit Portal he expected the relationship with Giumarra would be a prosperous one.

"We have entered the European market well, but it wasn't like that with the United States. Just this year we started to have good relationships, and Giumarra was the customer we needed to get into the North American market well," Kuratomi said.

"For us the United States markets is much more natural because the shipping times are much shorter. Ship departures are more frequent and we can easily arrive on the West and East Coasts. In Europe the transit time is almost double."

He said the negotiations with Giumarra took no more than two months, and involved representatives from the North American company visiting facilities in Colombia to see Bengala's processes, projects and certifications. 

He emphasized the company's fruit had very good Brix (sweetness) grades and was consistently juicy. 

Headline photo: Camutisphoto

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