Firms prepare to meet high papaya demand

Excerpts from a 4/26/10 article in The Packer written by Abraham Mahshie

Tropical fruit suppliers are increasing their volumes of papayas this year thanks to greater familiarity, higher demand and an uptick in foodservice applications.

Tropical fruit suppliers are increasing their volumes of papayas this year thanks to greater familiarity, higher demand and an uptick in foodservice applications

Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., which specializes in papayas from Belize, said the proximity of the country to the U.S. mainland make the item easier to import than Brazilian papayas.“We like to emphasize to people that we are not considered the Mexican papaya. We don’t have the musky smell or musky tastes,” she said.

Ostlund said she is increasingly finding papayas in the foodservice industry, especially for use in salsas, fruit salads and as a topping for fish.“They have kind of been getting into the restaurants by backing into them,” she said.

“Fish with a papaya salsa on top of it is a way of introducing papaya onto what I would call mainstream menus.”Ostlund said consumers are experiencing papayas and other tropical fruit in their travels and on the Food Network, encouraging them to pick up the fruit at supermarkets.“It’s amazing — they are adding mango, avocado and papaya not just on special occasions, but putting them on their weekly grocery lists,” she said.

Research targets nutritional benefits of tropicals

Excerpts from an 4/23/10 article in The Packer by Abraham Mahshie

Nutrition is a top selling point for tropical fruit suppliers, who are scrambling to publicize new health benefits to strengthen category growth. Suppliers increasingly seek out research studies about disease-fighting characteristics, labels like “super fruit” and wellness benefits predominant in fruit when making their case for increased consumption.

Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., said Brooks has enlisted a nutritionist to write a column featuring a different one of the company’s products each month. “I always tout the benefits of eating tropical fruits and vegetables, but it’s time to get someone who is really knowledgeable about what you need in your diet,” she said of the new column written by nutritionist Donna Shields, author of “Caribbean Light,” a book about cooking with tropical fruits and vegetables.

Ostlund said the column provides recipes that help consumers to think of Brooks’ items in a different way, like adding starfruit to a Thai salad instead of just using it as a garnish.“It might be cheaper to buy frozen or canned vegetables, but I think the health consciousness has uprooted or trumped that feeling and it’s better to buy fresh,” she said. “We are very lucky to be able buy fresh vegetables that come in from all over the world.”

BFP donates money for Band Fest

On behalf of Belize Fruit Packers, Miss. Lismar Cobb hands over a cheque of $300 BZ to Mrs. Adelita Canul who is in-charge of raising funds for the Band Fest. The Band Fest will take place on 27th March, 2010.

Papaya plant discovered to be effective against cancer

Excerpts from an article in naturalnews.com , March 30, 2010 by: S. L. Baker

The papaya plant has been touted by traditional healers for centuries as a source of powerful medicine. Not only is papaya fruit delicious and loaded with vitamins and phytochemicals, but other parts of the plant have been used historically to treat health problems, too.

Now University of Florida (UF) researcher Dr. Nam Dang and his colleagues in Japan have announced new evidence that the papaya fights cancer cells. In fact, they discovered that an extract made from dried papaya leaves produced a dramatic anti-cancer effect against a broad range of tumors grown in the laboratory -- including cancers of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, not only showed that papaya has a direct anti-tumor effect on a variety of malignancies, but it also documented for the first time that papaya leaf extract increases the production of key signaling molecules called Th1-type cytokines. That's important because this regulation of the immune system raises the strong possibility that the use of papaya could help the body's own immune system to overcome cancers.

Additional source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19961915

Sam Skogstad promotion

We are proud to announce that Sam Skogstad is being promoted from Purchased Fruit Manager to Director of Sourcing. In addition to growing our import business, Sam will continue to develop our Texas papaya program. We are planning to greatly expand our sales of papayas through Texas over the next couple years.

Congratulations, Sam.

Sue Garcia promotion

We are proud to announce that Sue Garcia is being promoted from Purchased Fruit Assistant to Salesperson. Sue will be working with a wide range of customers including West Coast and Terminal Market customers.

Congratulations, Sue.

SE Produce Council

A new tradeshow for Brooks, SE Produce Council is a regional show that invites Southeastern retailers to get together with growers like us. Here's a photo of the booth and some of the folks that attended.