Issue 4 2021

Fruits of Labour In an international system of supply chains, customers have become accustomed to having access to a range of exotic ingredients in their food. The team behind Frutco AG are an integral part of the production process for many businesses, providing sustainable access to the best natural raw materials. We look at more closely at the firm as it celebrates nearly thirty years of success. Frutco has become a global leader in the food and beverage industry for its incomparable distribution of natural exotic ingredients. Its customers range from juice producers to ice cream makers, with each having their own unique demands. They depend on the tireless work that the Frutco team do, to ensure that their own supply chains are not affected. At the heart of Frutco’s strategy is a desire to backward integrate to secure raw material sources for its customers. What sets the team apart is their consideration of sustainability, with a commitment that goes above and beyond to not only ensure that Frutco can deliver products to its customers, but that its customers will be able to access these ingredients for years to come. The team are able to supply a huge range of banana, pineapple, mango, guava, passion fruit and citrus products, with other processed fruits available as well. Needless to say, the international nature of Frutco is part of its appeal, while also being one of the biggest challenges for the team. There are more than ten different nationalities working at Frutco, with an organization that must speak Spanish, German, English, Chinese, Hindi, French and Italian. This multicultural approach crosses borders and has inspired the most impressive success for the team. All members of staff are passionate about achieving the best possible results for the business and its clients. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to the surface for the Frutco team. In a business that was built around open country borders, the various lockdowns have made life difficult. Internally, this has led to the adoption of new digital processes in everyday life and communication. As the world opens up again, this unique situation seems likely to settle down in the coming months as vaccines are distributed. The sustainable motives that have driven many of Frutco’s decisions have naturally caused a great deal of interest amongst customers, with this matching the desire around the world for more resource-efficient products. The team is actively investing in new technologies that will reduce energy and water consumption both in agriculture and in the business’s factories. The aim is for 100% of fruit to enter into the food chain. The team’s success can be measured by its ambition, which is currently to be 100% sustainable by 2030. The process has been independently reviewed by the renowned Price Waterhouse Cooper as part of the Sustainable Juice Covenant, with the evidence being that the company is already 84% sustainable. Despite these challenges, both within the company and with the world that it operates in, the team are celebrating new success for their business. 2021 has already seen the opening of the new FruBatec plant in Colombia, which is a joint venture with Banacol. The products are banana puree, concentrate, juices and essences in organic and conventional as well as banana flour and fibre. January also showed the start of the continuous fermentation plant, which makes banana sweetener from side streams from banana production. Alongside the firm’s partner in this enterprise, Fooditive, the team are planning to open this plant in mid-2022. The special feature about this new sweetener is that it can compete with the aspects of sugar but contains zero calories and has no bitter or chemical aftertaste. The world is constantly changing, and a responsible business is always thinking of ways to change with it. Business like Frutco inspire not only because they are incredibly food at supplying food, but because they do so with such care for the world around them. We celebrate their success and look forward to seeing how their range continues to expand in the months and years to come. Name: Frank Hofer Web Address: www.frutco.ch Email: [email protected] Feb21094 This multicultural approach crosses borders and has inspired the most impressive success for the team. All members of staff are passionate about achieving the best possible results for the business and its clients.

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