Pomegranates are relatively popular in India, but maybe even more so their arils. Due to them being perishable by nature, they are heavily influenced by the climate and the type of packaging. Fortunately for exporting company Santosh Exports they also take care of the packaging of their pomegranate arils.
Abhijeet Sethiya is the owner of Santosh exports, a company that has been in the business for more than two decades: "Santosh Exports is a traditional family run company that started 23 years ago and are exporters of 'manually' extracted fresh pomegranate arils from India. We've been exporting pomegranate arils for the past ten years for all 52 weeks of the year! I say manually extracted, as this method makes sure the arils remain undamaged, as opposed to when you extract the arils by machine."
By taking the control of the packaging themselves, it eliminated any external risks they would have no control over, says Sethiya: "The arils being perishable in nature are strongly influenced by the type of packaging and local climates. In response to these constraints, it was essential for us to develop a broad range of pack styles. So now we pack in MAP Trays, MAP Cups and Bulk Pouches, with a capacity to pack 36,000 units on daily basis."
Santosh Exports' main market for their packaged arils are the United States, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Although there is competition from Chile and Peru, Sethiya isn't too worried: "Our arils are preferred as our climate allows us to grow the fruit all year round consistently! We also monitor the entire production cycle from harvesting of the fruit to the final packing of all Fresh Pearls in their desired pack styles, which attracts potential clients."
Sethiya concludes: "The extensive benefits of this miracle fruit are well recognized, which only gives us the opportunity to provide our buyers and hence their customers the impeccable taste of our bright red, juicy and tender pomegranate arils year after year. Relishing a vibrant fruit as this is an experience in itself and that is why we believe that we don’t sell a product, we sell an experience!"
