The centre will develop solutions to extend the freshness and quality of fresh produce, to meet China’s growing supply chain demands.
Shenzhen Pagoda Orchard Industrial Development Co Ltd, better known as Pagoda, has 3,000 outlets in China. Its range include fruits, dried fruits and fruit juice products.
“Pagoda’s dedication to overall fruit quality, intimate knowledge of the local consumer and complex supply chain make the company a perfect partner to help us better develop and deliver localised freshness-preservation solutions,” said Jordi Ferre, CEO of AgroFresh.
Better quality fruit
With the innovation centre, AgroFresh and Pagoda will collaborate on research and identify fruit quality issues.
“As a company firmly-rooted in research and science, the new innovation centre in China enables us to apply our know-how to predict optimal fruit conditions and reduce waste,” said Ferre.
The new innovation centre, located at a Pagoda distribution centre in Guangdong province, is set to open in the second half of this year.
According to AgroFresh, Chinese consumers increasingly demand fresh, safe, high-quality fruit in a “non-sophisticated” food supply chain. Partnering with Pagoda allows the company to enter a new and growing market that needs solutions to extend fruit freshness.
Partnership for China and beyond
The insight gathered from this partnership and the new innovation centre is also expected to set the foundation for AgroFresh’s retail and e-commerce strategy for China, that can be extended into other regions.
Said Yu Huiyong, president of Pagoda, “We share like-minded goals to protect and sustain fruit quality. Working together, we’ll be able to enhance the customer experience, reduce food waste and make healthy diets more accessible.”
“Cooperating with AgroFresh will also arm us with more fruit intelligence and strengthen our position as a leading quality fruit provider.”
AgroFresh has products registered in over 45 countries.
Pagoda, based in Shenzhen, was named a “Chinese Excellent Franchise Brand” in 2015 and 2016 and a “Top 100 Chinese Franchise Chain” in 2016 by the China Chain Operation Association.
Pagoda expects to open 10,000 outlets by 2020 and substantially increase the quantity of imported fruits.