Posts Tagged “Chiquita”
As Port Manatee’s newest non-aggregate customer, Chiquita will begin cargo delivery of their bananas to Port Manatee on a bi-weekly schedule. Previously, Chiquita Bananas arrived at local grocers by truck delivery after cargo delivery to Port Everglades.
During a Port Authority meeting recently, Port Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras announced a new customer to Port Manatee – Chiquita.
After thanking the port authority and port staff for their support and efforts, Buqueras called the accomplishment a “big deal” citing the arrangement with a world-renowned customer, Chiquita Banana.
“These bananas can be delivered directly to your local supermarkets instead of being trucked for hours from other parts of Florida,” Buqueras explained.
The direct import to Port Manatee will not only spare the bananas a several-hour commute by truck for distribution to Manatee supermarkets but the import is also expected to cut back on pollution and fuel consumption previously expended for their highway delivery to the region.
The newly announced arrangement with Chiquita Banana comes after the October 2021 announcement that Port Manatee had reached an extended lease agreement with decades-long customer, Florida-based Del Monte unit in Coral Gables, through at least 2026.
Port Manatee reported a 53.3 percent year-over-year increase in the number of 20-foot-equivalent container units crossing its docks, reaching 135,660 twenty-foot equivalents (TEUs) in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021.
Chiquita is already chartering space on Del Monte vessels that are arriving at the port, and Chiquita Banana containers have already begun to move across the docks at Port Manatee.
Port Manatee is a county-owned deepwater seaport located in the eastern Gulf of Mexico at the entrance to Tampa Bay in northern Manatee County, Florida. It is one of Florida’s largest deepwater seaports and also regarded as the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal. The port handles a variety of bulk, breakbulk, containerized, and heavy-lift project cargoes.
SINGAPORE – Carrier Transicold, with Chiquita, successfully completed live cargo shipments for the new EverFRESH® active controlled atmosphere system, transporting fully loaded containers of bananas from Panama to the Netherlands. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
Chiquita shipped bananas using 40-foot, high-cube containers equipped with Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE® refrigeration units. The EverFRESH systems were programmed to maintain oxygen levels at 5% and carbon dioxide at 4%. Temperature, gas and humidity concentrations were monitored continuously throughout the 17-day shipments.
Significantly, the containers used in the shipments were not new and had some degree of air leakage due to normal wear and tear, making them more representative of typical containers used throughout the global fleet. Positive-pressures generated by the installed EverFRESH system helped offset issues related to leakage from the existing containers.
“Through multiple trials, the EverFRESH system delivered on its promise to create a controlled atmosphere balance that could be sustained throughout the voyage,” said Stefano Di Paolo, president, Great White Fleet, Chiquita. “The speed at which the EverFRESH system reduced oxygen levels to slow ripening and its ability to maintain high humidity were impressive.”
Jim Taeckens, senior product manager, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold, said, “In the shipments, container humidity levels were maintained as high as 90%, a feat other active atmosphere control systems can struggle with, which can potentially lead to a loss of fruit moisture content. We are pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Chiquita on this trial, successfully demonstrating the EverFRESH system’s ability to protect and preserve their valuable cargo en route to consumers in Europe.”
Introduced in November 2019, Carrier Transicold’s new EverFRESH system builds on the first generation EverFRESH system introduced 25 years ago. Today’s EverFRESH system continues to help preserve the quality of perishables beyond what refrigeration alone can do by actively managing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to slow respiration and the natural ripening of the commodity inside. Moreover, it does so more affordably than the previous EverFRESH system. As an active system, it generates nitrogen to more quickly and responsively displace oxygen, rather than relying on respiration alone to gradually reduce oxygen levels.
The new EverFRESH system will be available in the first quarter for Carrier Transicold PrimeLINE refrigeration systems equipped with the Micro-Link® 5 controller option. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 50 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.
If you like hauling bananas out of the Port of Wilmington (Del), The Diamond State Port Corp., and Chiquita Brands have agreed that Chiquita will continue to use the complex as its mid-Atlantic distribution hub for the next five years.
The agreement includes two five-year renewal options, which could extend Chiquita’s stay at Wilmington until 2029, according to a news release.
Chiquita’s business means Wilmington will continue to handle more bananas than any other port in North America.
In 1988, Chiquita consolidated mid-Atlantic supply chain operations to Wilmington, which is now its largest port operation in North America.
Chiquita brings bananas, pineapples and other tropical fruits and vegetables into North America through the port from Central America.
“We are extremely pleased that Chiquita has decided to sign a new lease with the port and continue our long and fruitful relationship,” Gene Bailey, executive director of Diamond State, said in the release. “Chiquita is a most important customer and responsible for hundreds of jobs and … significant economic impact to our port, state and region.”
“The Port of Wilmington is an important destination for Chiquita and our customers,” Mario Pacheco, Chiquita’s senior vice president of global logistics, said in the release. “We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that will enable us to continue to call Wilmington home for many years to come.”
By Fresh Express
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Fresh Express, the nation’s number one producer of fresh salads, has launched a 30-Day Salad Swap initiative to encourage consumers to recreate the flavor profiles of their favorite higher calorie foods, from cheesy pizza to creamy pasta, in lower calorie salads.
The New Year has arrived and a commitment to eat better once again tops most resolution lists, leaving Americans hungry for tips and plans to stay on track. Participants can download a free Salad Swap mobile app to unlock a library of delicious salad recipes to match the flavors of the foods they crave.
The Salad Swap app can also track meals, calories, activities and salad purchases for rewards. Participants can earn money-saving coupons for every two Fresh Express bag codes entered–up to 14 bags in 30 days–in their Salad Swap account. Additionally, they can earn $50 in coupons to use throughout the year if 15 salad bag codes are entered within 30 days. Fresh Express offers a wide variety of field fresh mixes, kits, organics and slaws, all of which qualify for coupon rewards.
Despite many well-known benefits of salad, the average American eats a salad at mealtime only about three times a month according to market research firm NPD Group. Making one simple salad swap a day can help consumers eat and feel better, without sacrificing taste. Fresh Express consultant Chef Britney Ruby Miller worked closely with nutrition consultant Jessica Fishman Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN, to create a collection of tasty salad recipes that pack a nutritional punch.
“A salad is my go-to nutritious meal because it’s such an easy way to get multiple servings of fruits and vegetables at one time,” notes Levinson. “And while you may not want to add all the offerings at the salad bar, virtually any food in moderation can be a topping for a salad. That’s why I love this new app from Fresh Express – it gives you permission and inspiration to think outside of the box with salad.”
A sampling of top-rated recipes from the Salad Swap includes:
- Bacon Cheeseburger Salad
- Salad with Creamy Pasta
- Chicken Salad with Tomatillo Salsa
- Pizza Antipasto Salad
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends increasing fruit and vegetable intake because they contain a number of nutrients that are under consumed in the United States, including folate, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, C and K. The Dietary Guidelines also suggests including dark leafy greens in salads as one of the ways you can increase your vegetable consumption.
For more information about the Fresh Express 30-Day Salad Swap, please visit www.saladswap.com.
About Fresh Express: Fresh Express, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB), is a leader in fresh foods and is dedicated to providing consumers with healthy, convenient ready-to-eat salads, leafy greens, vegetables and fruits. With the invention of its special Keep Crisp® Bag in the 1980s, Fresh Express pioneered the retail packaged salad category and was the first to make them available to grocery stores nationwide. Today, Fresh Express fresh salads come in more than 60 different varieties offering exciting new flavors and convenient new ways to meet the daily dietary requirements for fresh produce. More than 20 million consumers each week enjoy healthy, convenient ready-to-eat Fresh Express salads, spinach, vegetables and greens. For more information, visit www.FreshExpress.com.
Equipment Modifications Announced by TransFRESH Now Make Tectrol Available to Strawberry Shippers Who Employ Reusable Plastic Containers
SALINAS, CA May 16, 2012 ‒ TransFRESH Corporation has announced that 
palletized Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) used by a select number of growers and shippers in the berry industry now work seamlessly with the company’s proprietary Tectrol® Modified Atmosphere system due to innovative equipment modifications made by the TransFRESH team.
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TransFresh squeeze completes the cycle of inserting the bottom seal on a pallet that is now ready for the Tectrol bag and seal.
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“We’ve implemented certain adjustments that make our equipment ‘RPC Capable’ for shippers who use RPCs as part of their box or carton mix,” according to Rich Macleod, vice president, TransFRESH Pallet Division North America. “This makes it possible for berry growers, shippers and retailers to take advantage of the benefits of Tectrol® regardless of the package method.”
Previously, growers and shippers using RPCs experienced a more complicated process that involved placing the bottom seal on the pallet in the field. However, with the new modifications, it’s now possible to run RPC pallet units on the company’s automated equipment provided at the coolers, ensuring the ease and integrity of the sealing process.
“The goal of our Tectrol Service Network is to remain ahead of the curve in terms of marketplace and customer demands,” said Macleod. “We realized that with some adjustments and retooling, we would be able to ensure a viable seal on all sides of the RPCs, making it possible for shippers who provide Tectrol® to readily apply our technologies with RPC palletization.”
Studies have shown that Tectrol’s high CO2 (carbon dioxide) modified atmosphere may reduce decay and thereby protect the quality of fresh strawberries throughout the distribution process. Berries shipped using the Tectrol Modified Atmosphere Packaging System are shown in university, USDA and private studies to deliver strawberries with less decay.
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About TransFRESH® TransFRESH Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands (NYSE: CQB), is a pioneering and established global company, with nearly 50 years of experience in perishables transport. Tectrol ® is the trademarked brand name for the TransFRESH® family of proprietary modified and controlled atmosphere systems and processes developed and owned by TransFRESH®. The Tectrol® Service Network™ services, markets and supports the Tectrol Pallet Systems operations and technologies. Since inception, TransFRESH’s innovations in packaging, equipment and sealing processes have established Tectrol® as the industry standard.