Sasini Avocado
As part of business strategic development and diversification, the need to further address the issue of health concerns and increasing cases of lifestyle diseases globally, was topmost in our list of priorities.
And how would we do this? Being an agricultural company with a rich heritage and grounding in crop husbandry, we needed to identify a crop which would offer health benefits to the consumers and Avocado was an easy pick from a range of other crops to supplement the core businesses of tea and coffee, which are also health beverages, given that avocados do well in most of our Kenyan Climate.
The venturing into Avocado business was mainly to align our unwritten mantra – ‘nourishing our world’, with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages.
The Avocado line of business is run by our subsidiary, Sasini Avocado Ltd, a bona fide licensee of the Agriculture and Food Authority Horticultural Crop Directorate, which started exporting avocados in 2017. From 2017 to-date we export avocados from our contracted growers.
Our nucleus farms are located in Nandi in the Rift Valley and Meru in Central Kenya Highlands which have different climatic conditions but very suitable for growing of Avocados. Our first harvest from these farms are expected in year 2020.
We have planted our own orchards to enhance and sustain production and plan to plant 1000 acres of Hass Avocado variety by end of 2020.
Sasini Avocado Ltd does the packing of avocados at Sameer Industrial Park along Mombasa Road, which is conveniently located for easy access to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi for airfreight and to the port of Mombasa for sea freight.
The company processes and markets the fruits for export to United Kingdom, Europe and America, among others. About 50% of the fruits is sourced from our out-growers.
Our fruits are traceable to the fields where they have been harvested as we have an elaborate traceability system in place. Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for the fruits are tested before harvesting commences and we use ISO 17025 certified laboratories to evaluate the MRLs.
Packing Specifications
We specialize in packing two of the most popular varieties of avocados – the Hass and the Fuerte Avocados. Other varieties like the pinkerton and jumbo are packed as per demand by specific markets.
Packing is done according to EU avocado specifications below;
Size ………….. Minimum weight / maximum weight per piece
12 ……………. 300 g – 371 g
14 ……………. 258 g – 313 g
16 ……………. 227 g – 274 g
18 ……………. 203 g – 243 g
20 ……………. 184 g – 217 g
22 ……………. 165 g – 196 g
24 ……………. 151 g – 175 g
26 ……………. 144 g – 157 g ( in 10 kg )
28 ……………. 134 g – 147 g (10 kg )
30 ……………. 123 g – 137 g (10 kg )
Certifications
Global G.A.P for the farms- Good agricultural practices and food safety certification
Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) for the pack house, social certification premised on ethical trade auditing, for the benefit of retailers, consumer brands and their supplies as well as the welfare of the workers
KEPHIS( Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate services) certifications.- phytosanitary certifications.
We are also members of The Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) which is a not-for-profit membership organisation for businesses committed to the continuous improvement of ethical performance within their supply chains. Sedex which underpins the SMETA Certification seeks to drive convergence in social audit standards and monitoring practices with the aim of easing the auditing burden on suppliers through the sharing of reports and to drive improvements in supply chain standards.
Avocado is the fruit of the avocado tree, scientifically known as Persea Americana.
The avocado fruit is a unique fruit and has become an incredibly popular food among health-conscious individuals. Numerous studies show that it has powerful health benefits.
It is often referred to as a superfood, given its many health properties. The fruit is a great help in weight loss and promotes a healthy heart.
Avocados are very nutritious and contain a wide variety of nutrients, including 20 different vitamins and minerals, many of which are lacking in many varieties of modern diet.
Avocados are an excellent food with very delectable taste.