The newest HPW fresh&dry Srl production facility is located in the heart of the Ivorian pineapple production, 80 km east of Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire.  The state-of-the-art dried fruit centre was built within 8 months during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic and began production in mid-June 2020.  An impressive 800 tons of premium mangos, pineapples, coconuts and bananas can be processed – of which, up to 400 tons of organic quality. Over the past two years, HPW agronomists have been working with suppliers to lay the groundwork for this success.

The facility has created 450 new jobs for workers and is an important source of income for a large number of local smallholders.  The management team of HPW fresh&dry Ghana has been instrumental in providing professional training in the lead up to the production launch, including technical instruction in the classroom and by digital training tools, on-the-job training and comprehensive instruction in Covid-19 health, safety and hygiene protocols.  The Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire management teams have been able to exchange know-how related to production and quality management, and teaching resources to ensure a professional and smooth start-up.

An impressive accomplishment despite the Covid-19 pandemic: building the new production facility in just 8 months, creating 450 jobs and the successful production of premium dried fruit products for the European market.  In spite of this impressive feat, our team in Cote d’Ivoire is already moving forward to tackle the next phase of expansion. The factory has been successfully certified BRC, one of the highest quality and food safety standards.

The next phase of expansion in Cote d’Ivoire is initiating a robust quality supply chain for organic fruits; especially, mangos, pineapples, and bananas.  In order to ensure the necessary organic certification, HPW agronomists are providing technical and financial support to the local farmers.  The goal is to increase the daily capacity to 30 tons of fresh fruit produced to the highest international food safety standards – half of which, is to be of organic quality.  The centrepiece of this business plan is the ambitious HPW sustainable business model, which targets zero waste and zero C02 emissions and is already well-functioning in Ghana.