The Packer
By Tom Karst
December 23, 2002
Its operation in Belize helps position Brooks Tropicals to capitalize on the popularity rise.
The sunrise of the papaya consumption in the U.S. is a good sign for importers of Central American papayas. Per capita consumption of papayas has tripled in the past decade, from 0.24 pounds in 1992 to 0.78 pounds in 2001. At the same time, imports of papayas have increased from 11.5 million pounds in 1990 to 186 million pounds in 2001. Top suppliers to the U.S. in 2001-02 were Mexico, Brazil and Belize, representing 82%, 8% and 6% respectively.
Craig Wheeling, chief executive officer of Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., said the company has built a successful papaya program in Belize. The Brooks farm in Belize features both the large maradol-type Caribbean Red papayas and the smaller solo Caribbean Sunrise papayas. The rising Hispanic population in the U.S. has helped fuel the growth of the papaya, Wheeling said. "The papaya is the breakfast of choice for Latin Americans," he said.
Retail Price
Wheeling said retailers typically sell the larger papayas on a per-pound basis, while the solo papaya is sold individually. With typical f.o.b. costs, Wheeling said retailers often put $1.49 per pound on maradols, with aggressive pricing as low as 79 cents to 99 cents per pound.
Though Mexican maradol papayas are cheaper, Wheeling said the integrity of the cold chain for Belize papayas results in less shrink for the dark red papayas. "Our goal is to serve the top 30% of the market by growing a better piece of fruit," he said. The smaller solo papaya is typically priced at retail from 99 cents to $2.99 each, depending on fruit sizes.
Continuous Cold Chain
"We have a continuous cold chain from our farm down there to Florida to the retailer and the consumer," he said. Wheeling said the company started with 30 acres of papayas in 1995, and now there are more than 1,000 acres of papayas. The work force at the facility has grown from 60 employees to 700, said John Ambrose, assistant to Wheeling at Brooks.
The Fruta Bomba (papaya is referred to as "bomb fruit" by some in Latin America) packinghouse built in 1995 has quadrupled in size, with most additional square footage reserved for forced air-cooling and cold storage. "We’ve gone through our third warehouse expansion," he said. The papayas coming from the Brooks facility in Belize are tested and certified by a third party to ensure that pesticide residues are not exceeded.
Each of the larger Caribbean Red papayas weigh about 3 to 3.5 pounds each, and nine to 11 fruit are packed in 33-pound boxes.
Papaya Niche
While papaya demand is growing, Wheeling said papayas are much more difficult to grow than mangoes because the fruit is more susceptible to insects, virus and fungus disease. "It’s a very high-input crop to either grow well or has a disaster," he said. Competition for solo papayas from Belize comes from Hawaii and Brazil, and Wheeling said Mexico is the primary competition for large maradol papayas shipped to the U.S. market.
Peak weekly volume for Brooks is expected at about 25,000 packages of solo papayas per week, while the large maradol type is expected to be 40,000 packages per week. While ample supplies were being received in early December, Wheeling said peak volume is expected by the summer. Shipments of papayas are shipped in refrigerated containers to Miami, with two ships sailing each week and a third one tentatively expected to be added in May.
Reprinted by permission of The Packer. The Packer does not review or endorse products, services or opinions.
|
