Valencia, Spain – San Lucar bananas grow exclusively in the coastal region of “Los Ríos” in Ecuador where they thrive in a warm tropical climate that is perfect for bananas. To ensure that they reach the consumer in optimum premium quality every day, the ripening of bananas is a fundamental process in the supply chain.
To achieve this, SanLucar has found a new strong partner in Germany in vanWylick. With modern, sustainable and careful ripening technology, the company meets the needs of the fruit and ripens the bananas in a controlled manner. Tests have shown that this leads to better taste and longer shelf life.
In traditional ripening systems, the fruit is often ripened according to a predefined pattern, standardized parameters and a lot of manual work. However, in modern ripening systems it is possible to monitor the process precisely and therefore provide stress-free and careful ripening.
The applied technology uses intelligent software control that allows dynamic calculation and adjustment of optimal fruit ripening parameters. The system continuously monitors all natural air and breath gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and ethylene, a fruit gas.
Therefore, it can adjust the optimal parameters for the fruit that will be ripened. During the whole process, the fruits are placed in a closed gas-tight chamber in which the respiratory activity and thus the physiological state of the fruits are continuously measured. The harmonious interplay of oxygen, heat, moisture and ethylene – while maintaining the CO2 level – ensures that the bananas grow gently until they are ready to eat .
The agricultural area also makes a valuable contribution to the special quality of SanLucar bananas. Hacienda Magdalena is located in an area particularly well suited to uniform growth and careful cultivation. SanLucar bananas ripen particularly evenly for a period of 12 to 14 weeks in the central coastal region of Ecuador.
Temperature and rainfall conditions facilitate quality-oriented and sustainable cultivation. For this reason, fertilizers and pesticides are only used when absolutely necessary. As a further action to protect the environment, native trees are planted along the banks.
All in line with SanLucar’s corporate philosophy: “Taste in harmony with people and nature”. As part of the company’s commitment to the region, SanLucar employees receive free meals (breakfast and lunch) and their children benefit from school scholarships, as well as the DREAMS school support program in surrounding communities. .
“With our green products from Ecuador and the new sustainable and careful ripening technique, SanLucar is launching a new premium banana. The aim is to convince our customers with the quality, appearance, taste, shelf life and a real premium banana during the 12 months of the year”, says Armin Rehberg, CEO of SanLucar’s operations.
In the store, SanLucar accompanies the sale and presentation of bananas with secondary placements, as well as promotional actions and materials. The first SanLucar bananas with the new careful and sustainable ripening technology can be expected from the beginning of March.
About San Lucar
SanLucar is a global company dedicated to bringing people natural joy and health in a way it can be proud of. Offering a variety of over 100 delicious fruits and vegetables from more than 35 countries, SanLucar is the brand with the widest premium assortment in the German, Austrian and Dutch retail market. The portfolio also includes smoothies, fresh cut produce, as well as flowers and plants. Currently, SanLucar is expanding into Canada, Italy, England, Scandinavia, Poland, Ecuador, Russia, the Middle East and North Africa.
SanLucar, founded in 1993 by Stephan Rötzer, is headquartered in Valencia (Spain) and has more than 4,000 employees in Germany, Austria, Benelux, Italy, Spain, Ecuador, Dubai, South Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, both in its agencies than on its own farms. The philosophy “Taste in harmony with people and nature” is the foundation of all SanLucar actions as well as the basis of many social and sustainable projects.
