"The truth is that this has been a very pleasant surprise for us. We haven't been importing papayas for too long and we weren't expecting this welcome," said Antonio Montes, from Hermanos Montes. This company decided to open its doors and give the Formosa papaya an opportunity in the domestic market, despite there already being a big supply locally. For now, their numbers are good and they expect to reach 25,000 cases in 2017.
The Formosa papaya variety has a great acceptance and, even though its cultivation has significantly increased in the last year in southern Spain, its production is still too small to affect the import season. In addition, the Formosa variety, which is the papaya that domestic customers demand the most, still hasn't completely adapted to the country's climatic conditions.
Hermanos Montes imports Formosa papaya by air from Brazil, which allows them to leave the fruits on the trees longer so it can better ripen be harvested when perfect. "Transporting the fruit by air is faster and affects it less, so the customers receive it in better conditions, which is always our goal," said Montes.
More information
Antonio Montes
Frutas y Verduras Hermanos Montes
Tel. +34 660605546