Fruit giant Chiquita says it expects to supply 25% of all bananas sold in the UK within three years.
The prediction was made by Chiquita business director Cees Ritmeester, speaking as the company unveiled a £2m banana ripening, pre-packing and distribution depot in Kent.
Ritmeester hinted that the company’s growth would not stop there.
“Ideally we consider that our share of any market should be between 30% and 40%,” he said. The company currently
held about 15% of the market, he added.
The new depot in Sheerness docks will improve the cost-effectiveness of banana distribution in the south of England for Chiquita.
Until now fruit for the region was sourced from the company’s other ripening facilities in Dewesbury and Glasgow.