Mexican Lime Journey
The Premiere of ‘A Mexican Lime Journey’
On behalf of our partners and leading Mexican lime producers Inverafrut, we are pleased to announce the premiere of a ‘Mexican Lime Journey’.
The 3-minute feature invites viewers to walk through the fertile and lush plantations of Veracruz, before gaining an exclusive insight into the Inverafrut’s state of the art packing facilities in Chavarrillo, Mexico.
Follow the journey and see up close, the life cycle of a Mexican lime and how much each piece of fruit must endure before reaching the shores of Europe!
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more producer insights.
The Journey – From Farm to Fruit Bowl
Producers across Veracruz export 80% of the countries limes and this is due to the regions fertile land and warmer tropical climate. Limes in this area are typically available 12 months of the year with peak ripening season is between August and December.
Nurtured to maturity for several months in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico, Inverafrut’s limes are carefully handpicked to avoid any unnecessary bruising or damage.
Carted to the Chavarillo packing house in crates the limes are filtered onto a conveyor belt and then cleaned in a water bath. Here the team process 25 tonnes of fruit per hour!
Cleaned and sanitised the limes are then added to the foam roller conveyor for electronic sorting. Size and customer specifications process each of the limes with an accuracy of +/-1mm.
Automated assembly of cardboard crates speeds up and simplifies the packing process so that the packing team can focus their attention on the careful handling and quality of the limes.
When all the limes are snug in their cartons, they are palletised and stored in refrigerators, encouraging the fruit cells to hibernate thus slowing down the ripening process. The refrigeration process is a crucial step, especially when the fruit must travel over 5,000 nautical miles to customers in Europe.
Each pallet is loaded onto trucks and taken to the port in Veracruz ready for shipment to their destination.
Throughout the transit process, all fruit is refrigerated for optimum freshness!
Exotifruit & Inverfrut Partnership
Exotifruit have been in partnership with Inverafrut for many years. Our exclusive and direct relationship with Inverafrut means that we can provide our customers with a direct supply, 12 months of the year. Learn more about our premium lime imports.