UK-based supermarket chain Morrisons has teamed up with its trading partner Global Pacific to acquire banana ripening site in Boston, Lincolnshire, from US-based Del Monte, a move which will create up to 80 new jobs.
According to the company, the acquisition will allow it to offer improved quality and consistency, as well as take greater control over the maturity of bananas.
The 58,000ft2 factory is nine years old and was in operation with Del Monte until November 2011, when it ceased operation. The facility is expected to commence operation in the autumn and Global Pacific will run the site on behalf of Morrisons.
This acquisition is the sixth addition to Morrisons' manufacturing business since 2010, following on from meat facilities in Deeside and Winsford, a produce site in Worsley, FlowerWorld in Derby and the Grimsby fish factory.
Consumer preferences alter considerably with some opting to buy bananas with a tinge of green in order to ripen them at home, while others want more yellow, mature bananas that are sweeter and can be eaten straight away, the company said.
Morrisons stated that it will continue to work closely with growers by sourcing a wide range of bananas from dedicated growers and these green, or unripened, bananas will be ripened at the in house facility rather than through a third party.
Morrisons chief executive officer Dalton Philips said that bananas are the most popular fruit in the UK so it makes sense for Morrisons to apply its unique approach to food production to simplify the supply chain, cut out costs and improve quality.
"Adding this ripening factory to our business means we will be able to mature bananas more precisely to our customers different needs," Philips added.
