HLB seeing good movement of Brazilian papayas
HLB seeing good movement of Brazilian papayas
PLANTATION, FL -- With winter demand for papayas in overdrive, HLB Tropical Food USA is well positioned with good supplies of both the "HLB" and "Caliman" labeled Golden and Formosa varieties.
According to Homero Levy de Barros, president of HLB Tropical Food USA, based here, the Brazilian fruit has prevented any gaps in supplies caused by August's Hurricane Dean, which plowed through production areas in the Yucatan and Belize.
In addition, Melissa Hartmann de Barros, Mr. de Barros' daughter and director of communication for HLB, told The Produce News in December, "Our structure right now is that we can supply whoever needs papayas."
The family-owned HLB includes Sales and Logistics Manager Lorenz Hartmann de Barros, son of Homero Levy de Barros. Andr?s Ocampo, Ms. de Barros' husband, is director of operations. Monica de Barros, wife of Homero, is also on staff.
Melissa Hartmann de Barros said that everyone takes part in the day-to-day operations, and she added, "At the moment, we are importing Golden and Formosa papayas from Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala, but we concentrate on Caliman papayas from Brazil."
"Our primary variety is the Golden," Mr. de Barros said, adding that the Golden has become known as a superior papaya through the select breeding program of Caliman, the largest grower of papayas in Brazil. Caliman alone grows some 540 hectares (about 1,300 acres) of papayas, with each hectare supporting 1,700 papaya plants.
In addition to the Caliman family of growers, HLB also works with three other growers in Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala.
To clear up any misconception, Mr. de Barros explained that papayas are not trees but rather "big herbs," and each individual plant produces on average two fruits per week. The lifespan of each herb is 28 months, and the self- pollinating plants can be harvested for 20 months.
Not an easy crop to produce, papayas do best in moderate climates.
"They don't like extremes," Mr. de Barros noted. Too-high temperatures cause the flowers to drop, and too-cold temperatures bring on dormancy in the plant.
"They have to be babysat every day," he joked.
But "babysitting" is a hallmark of the Caliman family of growers, which has set the bar high for other producers, according to Mr. de Barros.
"The Calimans are trendsetters in papayas," he said, adding that the 1,300 acres devoted to papayas actually sits surrounded by another 10,000 acres of Caliman farmland. And the farm is in turn surrounded by 100,000 acres of original rain forest that has been designated as national forest in Brazil.
The buffer serves to protect the fruit from ring spot virus, which is transported by insects.
The isolation of the papaya plants is complemented by Caliman growers' commitment to stringent production methods. The operation is certified by Euregap, HACCP and Primuslabs, and Mr. de Barros said traceability is paramount.
"Also, our fruit is not GMO or irradiated," he said.
Harvesting is done when the fruit is ripe, with a minimum of 24.5 percent color in the field.
The grower has also funded more than 90 university research studies on the fruit, determining along the way that controlled atmosphere storage doesn't work well with papaya and that packaging is important to the end receiver.
"Caliman was the first to develop a clamshell for Costco," Mr. de Barros said. The four-pack is specific to the Golden variety, which is a smaller piece of fruit weighing, on average, one pound.
He said that the shelf life of a papaya from tree to mouth is 30 days, and HLB flies all of its fruit into the United States rather than bringing it by ship.
"The fruit arrives here a maximum of five days after it is cropped," he said. "Starting in January 2008, HLB will start distributing the large papaya variety known as Formosa or Tainung," Ms. de Barros said. "The Formosa papaya is gaining acceptance in North America due to its sweet taste, large size and longer shelf life. HLB will be sourcing the large papayas from Central America in a 32-pound case with sizes between eight and 12."
Acknowledging the difficulties in papaya production, Mr. de Barros asked the question, "Why do we sell such a difficult crop? It's because we believe in the potential. Less than 13 percent [of the American population] have eaten papayas on a regular basis. But as soon as people understand how healthy papayas are, they are ready for more."
A tasting in Naples, FL, proved that to be true.
"That day the store sold 150 [pieces of fruit]," Ms. de Barros added.
Mr. de Barros said, "When we do demos, sales jump an average of 3,000 percent." When the dust settles, sales stay at about 150 percent above what they were prior to the demo, he said.
"One major Western retailer saw sales of 2,500 fruits per day," Mr. de Barros said of demo results in the desert Southwest.
HLB's own sales have also increased, up 21 percent in 2007 over 2006 due to an expansion in its grower base. Mr. de Barros said that his company sells 70 percent of what Caliman produces on the worldwide market, "more than all other Brazilians together."
The international division of HLB also markets Calimosa variety papayas in Europe, Mr. de Barros explained. And the company deals in Cape Gooseberries, also known as Goldenberries, from Colombia.
According to Homero Levy de Barros, president of HLB Tropical Food USA, based here, the Brazilian fruit has prevented any gaps in supplies caused by August's Hurricane Dean, which plowed through production areas in the Yucatan and Belize.
In addition, Melissa Hartmann de Barros, Mr. de Barros' daughter and director of communication for HLB, told The Produce News in December, "Our structure right now is that we can supply whoever needs papayas."
The family-owned HLB includes Sales and Logistics Manager Lorenz Hartmann de Barros, son of Homero Levy de Barros. Andr?s Ocampo, Ms. de Barros' husband, is director of operations. Monica de Barros, wife of Homero, is also on staff.
Melissa Hartmann de Barros said that everyone takes part in the day-to-day operations, and she added, "At the moment, we are importing Golden and Formosa papayas from Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala, but we concentrate on Caliman papayas from Brazil."
"Our primary variety is the Golden," Mr. de Barros said, adding that the Golden has become known as a superior papaya through the select breeding program of Caliman, the largest grower of papayas in Brazil. Caliman alone grows some 540 hectares (about 1,300 acres) of papayas, with each hectare supporting 1,700 papaya plants.
In addition to the Caliman family of growers, HLB also works with three other growers in Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala.
To clear up any misconception, Mr. de Barros explained that papayas are not trees but rather "big herbs," and each individual plant produces on average two fruits per week. The lifespan of each herb is 28 months, and the self- pollinating plants can be harvested for 20 months.
Not an easy crop to produce, papayas do best in moderate climates.
"They don't like extremes," Mr. de Barros noted. Too-high temperatures cause the flowers to drop, and too-cold temperatures bring on dormancy in the plant.
"They have to be babysat every day," he joked.
But "babysitting" is a hallmark of the Caliman family of growers, which has set the bar high for other producers, according to Mr. de Barros.
"The Calimans are trendsetters in papayas," he said, adding that the 1,300 acres devoted to papayas actually sits surrounded by another 10,000 acres of Caliman farmland. And the farm is in turn surrounded by 100,000 acres of original rain forest that has been designated as national forest in Brazil.
The buffer serves to protect the fruit from ring spot virus, which is transported by insects.
The isolation of the papaya plants is complemented by Caliman growers' commitment to stringent production methods. The operation is certified by Euregap, HACCP and Primuslabs, and Mr. de Barros said traceability is paramount.
"Also, our fruit is not GMO or irradiated," he said.
Harvesting is done when the fruit is ripe, with a minimum of 24.5 percent color in the field.
The grower has also funded more than 90 university research studies on the fruit, determining along the way that controlled atmosphere storage doesn't work well with papaya and that packaging is important to the end receiver.
"Caliman was the first to develop a clamshell for Costco," Mr. de Barros said. The four-pack is specific to the Golden variety, which is a smaller piece of fruit weighing, on average, one pound.
He said that the shelf life of a papaya from tree to mouth is 30 days, and HLB flies all of its fruit into the United States rather than bringing it by ship.
"The fruit arrives here a maximum of five days after it is cropped," he said. "Starting in January 2008, HLB will start distributing the large papaya variety known as Formosa or Tainung," Ms. de Barros said. "The Formosa papaya is gaining acceptance in North America due to its sweet taste, large size and longer shelf life. HLB will be sourcing the large papayas from Central America in a 32-pound case with sizes between eight and 12."
Acknowledging the difficulties in papaya production, Mr. de Barros asked the question, "Why do we sell such a difficult crop? It's because we believe in the potential. Less than 13 percent [of the American population] have eaten papayas on a regular basis. But as soon as people understand how healthy papayas are, they are ready for more."
A tasting in Naples, FL, proved that to be true.
"That day the store sold 150 [pieces of fruit]," Ms. de Barros added.
Mr. de Barros said, "When we do demos, sales jump an average of 3,000 percent." When the dust settles, sales stay at about 150 percent above what they were prior to the demo, he said.
"One major Western retailer saw sales of 2,500 fruits per day," Mr. de Barros said of demo results in the desert Southwest.
HLB's own sales have also increased, up 21 percent in 2007 over 2006 due to an expansion in its grower base. Mr. de Barros said that his company sells 70 percent of what Caliman produces on the worldwide market, "more than all other Brazilians together."
The international division of HLB also markets Calimosa variety papayas in Europe, Mr. de Barros explained. And the company deals in Cape Gooseberries, also known as Goldenberries, from Colombia.
