By Safe Cargo

Leading U.S. table grape importer-exporter Dayka Hackett was saved from potentially damaging claims against shipments to South East Asia thanks to having in place innovative protocols from Safe Cargo, the Chile-based specialists in independent fruit shipment certifications and inspections. The protocol system, already widely in use among Chilean fruit exporters, helped safeguard both shipments and Dayka Hackett’s reputation despite container shipping delays causing significant challenges during 2021.

As the leading importer of Peruvian and Brazilian grapes into the U.S. and a major exporter of California grapes to Asian markets, Dayka Hackett faced the potential loss of customers when pandemic-related problems struck global container shipping. With delays adding days or weeks onto already lengthy shipping times, the company stood to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in returned consignments.

On the recommendation of growers, Dayka Hackett turned to Safe Cargo, a subsidiary of long-established quality control company Decofrut, for assistance, implementing a certification and inspection protocol that helped ensure fruit arrived in close-to-optimum condition despite considerable time and distance setbacks.

Preserving quality

Safe Cargo puts in place a protocol for loading every container of grapes or other fruit onto an ocean-going vessel, ensuring the products are properly cooled and an adequate flow of air is supplied throughout the container. With a team present during the loading process, Safe Cargo generates a report detailing how the container was loaded, including making sure interior temperatures were at the correct levels and checking pulp temperatures to make sure fruit has been sufficiently pre-cooled. All of this information is uploaded to Safe Cargo’s online portal for easy reference.

Further, the Safe Cargo team will ensure the necessary amount of cold air is reaching all areas of the container, including underneath and inside pallets rather than flowing around them by working to direct the entirety of the air stream around the interior of the unit.

Dayka Hackett Export Logistics Coordinator, Carlo del Real, said: “Safe Cargo provides us with a report that shows we did everything required to make sure our fruit was shipped properly in case there is an issue on arrival due to a delay or a temperature issue in the container. This way, we have proof and certification to show we did everything in our power in the case of a claim against the shipping line or our insurance.”

Overcoming challenges

Del Real and his team brought Safe Cargo on board after a “logistically challenging” 2021 California grape season, which added an average 13-day delay onto a typical transit time of 28-31 days to South East Asia. In one of the worst cases, a shipment to Indonesia was delayed by 28 days as a result of the container shortage.

However, despite the considerable difficulties, having in place Safe Cargo’s protocol system meant Dayka Hackett minimized the amount of claims and issues on arrival compared to previous years, according to del Real. In fact, the shipment to Indonesia also arrived in good condition thanks to Safe Cargo’s safeguards.

“It could have been a disaster if we maybe weren’t doing this,” admitted del Real. “But even in cases where there were claims, we had a report that we could submit to our insurance and we were able to recoup some of our losses.”

The relationship with Safe Cargo came about thanks to recommendations from South America-based growers where the system is widely used. Del Real said: “With our background in Chilean and Peruvian fruit, we thought that we could implement this for our California program. Safe Cargo had never done any business here in California, so we decided to try-out the service after talking with them before last season.

“The main reason we did it was because of all the logistics uncertainty that we saw in 2021. We found that the protocol added an extra layer of security for our fruit. I’m pretty sure there’s no-one else in the industry at the moment that’s shipping from California with this kind of protocol.”

Tailored approach

Safe Cargo’s Director Fernando Irarrazaval said: “We have three cornerstones at the core of Safe Cargo’s business: the professionalism of our collaborators; our automatized systems for uploading up-to-the-minute information that is truly effective; our coverage and ability to reach the greatest number of points in the greatest number of countries, whether that be Chile, Peru, Spain, Mexico, the U.S., and we want to keep increasing our coverage across all countries.

“One of our founding principles is to ensure proper loading practices, so that quality can be maintained. Through this service, producers, exporters, importers, grocery retailers and even the shipping companies have see the benefits of a system where fewer mistakes take place: losses due to faulty shipments can be very costly for the whole industry.

“As Safe Cargo, we work closely with our customers and other companies in the industry carrying our studies to validate everything we do. We take a tailored approach for every customer, looking at the variety being shipped, the distances and the logistics operations in each country.”

About Dayka Hackett

Dayka Hackett is the largest importer of table grapes into the US from Peru and Brazil, and among the top three from Chile. Over the past three years, Dayka Hackett’s export program has experienced strong growth, opening a dedicated office in Hong Kong for the Asia-Pacific region.

About Safe Cargo

Based in Santiago, Chile, Safe Cargo is a specialist in independent fruit shipment certifications and inspections, with 26,000 certified containers per year.