Caribbean Sunrise available in steady volumes from Brooks Tropicals
Caribbean Sunrise available in steady volumes from Brooks Tropicals
After several years spent refining production, Brooks Tropicals now has steady volumes of Caribbean Sunrise papayas this year, and the company is optimistic that it will be able to capitalize on the rise in consumption of the fruit in the U.S. marketplace.
Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for the Homestead, FL-based firm, said that Caribbean Sunrise is a Solo papaya variety with many qualities that make it attractive to U.S. consumers. Chief among them are the manageable size and the flavor of the fruit.
"Solo is smaller than the large Maradol-type papaya variety," said Ms. Ostlund. It is a 'handful,' which is more appealing to the American palate.
Expanding on that, Ms. Ostlund said that the portion size is suitable for one person to eat. She also said that the Sunrise has a very sweet flavor, is very juicy and has a very nice aroma.
Papayas are being eaten at historic rates, said Ms. Ostlund, who pegged the increase at about 8 percent per year. Of course the Hispanic and Asian markets lead the way, but we are seeing more acceptance across all markets.
A big part of the reason for this increased acceptance is the fact that papayas have been showing up more on mainstream television, according to Ms. Ostlund, who identified Emeril Live and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as two programs that have recently featured the fruit.
Additionally, retail promotions have been effective at getting papayas into more consumers shopping carts. We have been encouraging retailers to feature papayas in cross-promotions, she said, adding that one especially effective promotion had papayas included as an ingredient in fresh salsa.
Another effective method to reach shoppers is to utilize point-of-sale signage to educate people about the fruit, and to display papayas cut in half and wrapped in plastic so that people can see what the fruit looks like, according to Ms. Ostlund.
Brooks Tropicals offers a Papaya Care Guide for its Caribbean Red and Caribbean Sunrise papayas, which is available in print and electronic format. It is a handy reference guide detailing how to care for, store and sell papayas. It also is a handy reference for determining if a papaya is ripe.
Brooks Tropicals grows both the Solo and Maradol-type varieties on its farmland in Belize in cooperation with that countrys government. Ms. Ostlund said that the company is extremely vigilant when it comes to food safety and phytosanitary issues, and in fact is currently working with PrimusLabs toward certification for its practices. Our controls are very high, she said. As soon as the fruit is picked, it is cooled to the core with forced-air cooling before being packed into boxes. A continuous cold chain is maintained for the duration of shipping.
Fruit is picked and packed in Belize, received at the port in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and transported to Homestead, FL, where the company distributes it nationwide. From the time fruit is picked until the time it is on the shelf at retail is anywhere from eight to 12 days, said Ms. Ostlund.
Peak volume of about 15,000 boxes per week will occur in mid-March, and Brooks expects volume to be twice what it was in 2005, said Ms. Ostlund.
Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for the Homestead, FL-based firm, said that Caribbean Sunrise is a Solo papaya variety with many qualities that make it attractive to U.S. consumers. Chief among them are the manageable size and the flavor of the fruit.
"Solo is smaller than the large Maradol-type papaya variety," said Ms. Ostlund. It is a 'handful,' which is more appealing to the American palate.
Expanding on that, Ms. Ostlund said that the portion size is suitable for one person to eat. She also said that the Sunrise has a very sweet flavor, is very juicy and has a very nice aroma.
Papayas are being eaten at historic rates, said Ms. Ostlund, who pegged the increase at about 8 percent per year. Of course the Hispanic and Asian markets lead the way, but we are seeing more acceptance across all markets.
A big part of the reason for this increased acceptance is the fact that papayas have been showing up more on mainstream television, according to Ms. Ostlund, who identified Emeril Live and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as two programs that have recently featured the fruit.
Additionally, retail promotions have been effective at getting papayas into more consumers shopping carts. We have been encouraging retailers to feature papayas in cross-promotions, she said, adding that one especially effective promotion had papayas included as an ingredient in fresh salsa.
Another effective method to reach shoppers is to utilize point-of-sale signage to educate people about the fruit, and to display papayas cut in half and wrapped in plastic so that people can see what the fruit looks like, according to Ms. Ostlund.
Brooks Tropicals offers a Papaya Care Guide for its Caribbean Red and Caribbean Sunrise papayas, which is available in print and electronic format. It is a handy reference guide detailing how to care for, store and sell papayas. It also is a handy reference for determining if a papaya is ripe.
Brooks Tropicals grows both the Solo and Maradol-type varieties on its farmland in Belize in cooperation with that countrys government. Ms. Ostlund said that the company is extremely vigilant when it comes to food safety and phytosanitary issues, and in fact is currently working with PrimusLabs toward certification for its practices. Our controls are very high, she said. As soon as the fruit is picked, it is cooled to the core with forced-air cooling before being packed into boxes. A continuous cold chain is maintained for the duration of shipping.
Fruit is picked and packed in Belize, received at the port in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and transported to Homestead, FL, where the company distributes it nationwide. From the time fruit is picked until the time it is on the shelf at retail is anywhere from eight to 12 days, said Ms. Ostlund.
Peak volume of about 15,000 boxes per week will occur in mid-March, and Brooks expects volume to be twice what it was in 2005, said Ms. Ostlund.
