Packaging Partnership Delivers Better Quality, Increased Efficiency and Improved Sustainability
Tampa, Florida, USA, September 17, 2020: IFCO, the world’s leading operator of Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs), announced the company and SiCar Farms, a Mexico-based provider of acidic citrus, fresh fruit and greenhouse produce, have agreed to a three year contract extension.
“We are pleased to renew our packaging partnership with IFCO,” said Luis Gudińo, CEO of SiCar Farms. “Their share and reuse philosophy combined with the day-to-day performance of their RPCs helps us meet our product quality, operational efficiency and sustainability goals. IFCO RPCs reduce solid waste, optimize warehouse space, and have an innovative design that cools product better and helps reduce moisture damage during shipping and handling. They also streamline international flow and retailer delivery of our products. It’s a win-win situation.”
Under the terms of the agreement, IFCO will provide SiCar Farms, based in Colima, Mexico, with more than 2.7 million RPCs annually for packaging and shipping limes, tomatoes, coconuts, jackfruit, jalapeno peppers, tomatillos, jicama, tamarind and other produce items from farms in Mexico to five retail locations in the United States. SiCar Farms also owns and operates two distribution centers in Texas and California.
As part of their long-term partnership, IFCO has provided SiCar Farms with RPCs for its produce since 2007. IFCO’s San Antonio, Texas, wash center serves as an ideal location for SiCar Farms’ private transportation fleet to pick up sanitized RPCs for use at its processing locations in Mexico and its distribution centers in the U.S. IFCO also delivers RPCs directly to farm locations under the agreement.
The SiCAr Farms-IFCO relationship also highlights how IFCO partners with its customers to develop freight collaboration solutions that reduce costs, transportation miles and C02 emissions.
“We value our long-term partnership with SiCar Farms. We share the goals of delivering high quality, fresh and affordable food to consumers, and this partnership serves as a collaborative blueprint on how to achieve those shared objectives,” concluded Dan Martin, IFCO president of North America.