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DMS Lat 30° 6' 15.9444'' EM
Lon 1° 58' 14.0844'' S
JOURNEY OF A
SUPERFRUIT:
BLUEBERRIES
FROM PERU TO
PHILADELPHIA
34903 93409
01
Find out how innovations in agriculture and logistics are ensuring global food security
The question of how fresh food arrives at our tables has never been more important. A growing global population means more mouths to feed, against a backdrop of an increasingly unpredictable climate.
At the same time, consumers have become better educated about nutrition, sending demand for certain foods – like antioxidant-rich blueberries and grapes – skyrocketing.
These intertwining trends present a global challenge, but also tremendous opportunities. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Piura region of north-west Peru.
It’s a story that demonstrates how technology in both farming and logistics are helping to meet growing global demand, while transforming the local economy.
02
21st century
farming
Five years ago, there were almost no blueberry exports from Peru,” says Nicolas Gauthier, CEO of DP World Peru, part of Dubai-based logistics giant DP World. “Now the crop is worth $2 billion a year. And that’s the price when you export it, not when you buy a little pack in New York City.”
The Piura region has natural advantages. Year-round sunshine lends itself to bountiful fruit cultivation. And because Peru’s summer lands during the northern hemisphere’s winter, it can fill gaps between U.S. and European harvests.
These natural advantages are amplified by technology. “Using technology, we are able to produce fruit the exact week we want. We can also opt for a second harvest, doubling production and lowering unit costs,” says Manuel Jose Arriagada, CEO of Pura Fruit, which grows fruit in Piura.
Arriagada partially credits new plastics used to protect crops. But the company also owns the patent of many new fruit varieties, which are more resource-efficient, extend the growing season, and have a longer shelf-life.
Innovations like these are fueling the rapid expansion of Piura’s exports. But how does all that fruit get to breakfast bowls in Philadelphia?
S 25° 16' 37.1532'' N
S 25° 16' 37.1532'' N
S 25° 16' 37.1532'' N
“We tell smaller producers: you grow the fruit, and we’ll handle the rest,” says Gauthier. “We send four of our guys to their facilities to pack the container, maintain the right temperature, and take care of all the certificates, permits, and customs.”
Without this service, many smaller businesses wouldn’t be able to export at all, confining them to local markets that don’t attract as high a price.
03
From farm
to port
Logistics operators like DP World are essential; not only do they work with the shipping companies and ensure all the paperwork is in place, but they handle all the refrigeration, storage, and transportation,” says Mariano Rodriguez, Executive Director of Verfrut, which exports fruit from Piura. “You can have all the rest, but if you don’t get the logistics right, you’re out of business.”
Verfrut is vertically integrated and handles all operations leading up to the port, at which point DP World takes over. That means packing the fruit “in different packaging depending on the supermarket,” says Rodriguez, before “pre-cooling containers to drop the temperature from 23-35 degrees [Celsius] to zero degrees within 7-10 hours.”
The containers are then loaded onto trucks bounds for Paita Port, where they are held in temperature-controlled warehouses until they can be transferred onto ships.
You grow the fruit, and we’ll handle the rest.”
04
Paita Port
to Philadelphia
DP World has direct relationships with shipping companies around the world, interfacing between farmers and their customers to get produce to China, Europe, India, and the U.S
“We have services that connect with Philadelphia in less than six days,” says Manuel Martinez, Port of Paita Lead, DP World Peru. “This is the fastest transit time you can get from Peru.”
These connections are set to strengthen, thanks to a new partnership agreement between DP World and U.S.-based Americold, integrating the former’s ports, terminals, and logistics, and the latter’s global temperature-controlled infrastructure.
And digitalization is adding further strength to supply chains. Rodriguez says that real-time tracking is “essential,” for navigating disruption: “If you have a delay of 10 days, all you are doing is giving that fruit 10 less days in the chiller aisle.”
In the past, the shipment would have just shown up two weeks late. With tracking, the containers can be redirected, helping to prevent wastage.
05
Feeding the future
Gauthier says Peruvian fruit exports are increasing around 15% every year; and Paita Port is growing to accommodate.
“We’re planning more direct connections,” says Martinez. “And we’re installing a new crane which will increase berth capacity by 80%.”
The port is also investing in renewable energy,and is installing solar panels on every roof of the terminal to power what will soon be 100% electric equipment.
Much of this equipment is also being automated, which will help manage peaks around harvest time. “We usually receive 200-300 trucks a day,” says Martinez. “During harvest season, we receive more than 1,200.”
Investments like these are facilitating the astounding growth of the region’s agriculture, which in turn is helping to secure the world’s supply of nutritious food.
Next time you throw a blueberry into your breakfast bowl, take a moment to consider how it got there.
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