Port scuttlebutt - June 2000

New Zealand Fruit Approaches Peak Season

Imports of New Zealand apples, pears and kiwifruit through the Port of Wilmington are in full swing, and truck loads of fruit move out daily to supermarkets across the country.  It is now fall in New Zealand and peak season for their world-famous apples, pears and kiwifruit.  Last year the Port received over 39,000 tons of New Zealand apples and 10,000 tons of kiwifruit, which was marketed in the US and Canada by the David Oppenheimer Group.

New Zealand apples and pears are known throughout the world for their taste and quality,  with the Gala, Royal Gala, Braeburn, Fuji, Pink Lady and Pacific Rose varieties being the most popular.  New Zealand’s warm, dry summers and cool winters combine with its clean air and water and rich volcanic soil to provide an ideal fruit-growing environment.

New Zealand is one of the Port’s leading trading partners.  In addition to apples, pears and kiwifruit, Wilmington is a major port and distribution center for New Zealand beef and seafood. 

Tanker Ship Brings 22,400,000 Gallons of 
Orange Juice to Wilmington

On Monday, June 12, the Citrosuco reefer bulk vessel Sol Do Brasil delivered 3,200,000 gallons of Brazilian concentrated orange juice to their cold storage facility at the Port of Wilmington.  The juice will be stored at the Citrosuco terminal until it is distributed by special insulated tank trucks to major orange juice processing plants in the US and Canada, where it will be converted into 22,400,000 gallons of drinkable orange juice.  Among Citrosuco's customers in the US are leading juice companies such as Tropicana, Cumberland Farms, and HyPoint. 

Citrosuco North America has been at the Port of Wilmington since 1984. It operates the largest concentrated juice terminal storage facility in North America.  The company operates a fleet of four tanker vessels that call at Wilmington 8 to 10 times a year.  In 1999, the Port of Wilmington received over 66,000 tons of Brazilian concentrated orange juice for Citrosuco.  In addition to orange juice concentrate from Brazil, the Port also receives more than 70,000 tons of Argentine apple juice concentrate, which makes Wilmington the Number One “juice port” in the USA.

In the photo, the Sol Do Brasil pumps Brazilian concentrated juice to Citrosuco’s terminal facility.

5 A Day is What You Need & Wilmington Has It!

Last Wednesday June 1st, the Number One port in the U.S. for fruit and produce joined the “5 A Day” promotion festival in Wilmington’s Rodney Square, to promote healthy eating habits and consumption of 5 pieces of fruit or produce per day.  Visitors to the Port’s booth enjoyed fresh Dole bananas and New Zealand Braeburn apples, and received cooking recipes and information about fruit.

Founded in 1923, the Port of Wilmington is an important asset for the local and regional economy, generating over 4,900 jobs and contributing over $16 million in annual tax revenues to State and local government.  The Port is owned and operated by the Diamond State Port Corporation, a corporation of the State of Delaware.  For further information, digital photos, free tours of the Port and free speakers contact: Vered Nohi-Becker, Marketing Services Manager at the Port of Wilmington @ (302) 472-7819, e-mail: vnbecker@port.state.de.us