October this year is the first time pomelos registered under a Vietnamese coop brand to be exported to Canada. The Pink Lady Pomelo is a trademark registered in the Vietnamese market that belongs to Ben Tre Green Pomelo Cooperative. It achieved GlobalG.A.P (Global Good Agricultural Practice) certification.
Being cultivated under a strict-safe production process, following VietGAP standards, Pink Lady Pomelos of Ben Tre Green Pomelo Cooperative have no pesticide residues with nearly 700 types of pesticides. The Canadian partners affirmed that they would continue to order because these are high-quality fruits - an extremely outstanding achievement compared to their regular suppliers from China.
Thomas Lam, Sales and Buyer at Arc-En-Ciel shared with us:
“This is our first-time buying Pink Lady Pomelo from Ben Tre Coop and the pomelos are so beautiful. Actually, before we imported pomelos from US, China and their pomelos are a lot cheaper, but these Vietnamese pomelos are outstanding. We have received very good comments from customers who want us to keep supplying these Vietnamese fruits so in the future, for sure we will keep buying from this coop. And if you can keep this high level of quality, you can compete very well in the Canadian market”
Patricia Masbourian, owner of Fruiterie Chez Nino at Atwater Market in Montreal said:
“The pomelos that we have just received from Vietnam are at a very high quality, very juicy, and very fragrant. We are used to having this fruit from everywhere, including China, Brazil, and Israel. But these pomelos reach another level with an exceptional texture and level of juice. It is the same for the dragon fruits. The quality is impressive with firm fruit, nice skin, very juicy.”
To be able to enter this market, fruits must meet stringent quality requirements, obtain certification, and go through mandatory testing. The products must be selected, uniformed in size and quality.
The negotiation of a long-term contract between these Canadian buyers and the Ben Tre Green Pomelo Cooperative is expected to close soon with very favorable terms for the coop.