The importing of bananas comes from the need to guarantee a supply of the product 365 days a year; Conor therefore chose to set up a dedicated business unit just for importing bananas.
Conor Import is directly supported by a carefully chosen and highly specialised group of local producers for each country, which oversees and controls the entire process, from the plantation to the loading port. Conor Import supports and incentivises growers to adopt production standards that protect safety and support sustainability.
Sustainability is very important for Conor and, in 2019, it launched a school catering project dedicated to this subject – as well as REDEA packaging with no more wrapping. This project led to the production and importing of Conor Bio brand bananas, which are organic and Fairtrade certified.
Where Are Bananas Imported From? The Conor Import Project
For Conor, this project involves managing the first controlled supply chain product which stretches from growing to distributing and then importing bananas to Italy. The project paves the way for a major new supply chain pathway. Bananas are actually the top consumer item for collective catering and are seeing major growth year on year.
Research has helped select producers who can grow bananas to certain quality standards, which meet the specification requirements of school catering. Having worked on product specifications together with the farmers, these specifications aim to produce imported bananas with an average weight of 150g, which offer the perspective of “saving” and sustainability to the customer: providing an adequate product prevents unnecessary waste.
Conor Bio and Fairtrade bananas guarantee the entire banana importing process, starting from production in the Dominican Republic. The relevant region for Conor producers is Valverde, and more specifically Santa Cruz De Mao. Conor trusts the Almonte Family, which is a professional producer committed to the social side.
With this controlled supply chain project focused on importing bananas, but more generally speaking, on the fruit trade, together with local producers Conor is creating a new story that is highly strategic in terms of providing a guarantee to the consumer and solid support for the relevant region.