FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - The company behind the ubiquitous banana brand, Chiquita Brands International, announced a new, dedicated and integrated container service.

The new service is intended to set an even higher standard to safeguard the premium quality of Chiquita bananas across the world, the company noted in a press release, and in doing so, Chiquita is also reducing its carbon footprint.

“Looking back over these past years' work with the container fleet upgrade, we can proudly say we have achieved something remarkable” said Carlos Lopez Flores, Global President of Chiquita. “We’ve saved an unprecedented amount of energy—the equivalent of the CO₂ emitted by 3,000 cars per year.”

According to the company’s press release, the new logistic service will now operate five full-container vessels to transport bananas from Central America to Europe’s Vlissingen port in The Netherlands—a modern hub that will allow Chiquita to serve all Northern European destinations with the best transit time in the industry.

Chiquita’s new investment in this new service will both result in fresher bananas and a longer shelf life; new ultra-efficient containers will positively impact fruit quality by using software that automatically regulates the containers’ compressor thereby controlling the atmosphere. And the implementation of this software will also result in a positive environmental impact, as consumption of CO₂ has been reduced by 17,000 tons annually. In total, each new container is 50 percent more energy efficient than older models.

The company’s new vessels have also helped to reduce the handling of fruit at ports and increased stowage capacity by 12.5 percent, with more efficient storage from origin to destination guaranteeing the cold chain. These improvements will mean more bananas can be moved per trip, using less energy whilst still ensuring the fruit quality is prioritized.

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