Avocado from Kenya

Shalimar Flowers (K) Ltd was incorporated in 1960 in Nigeria. The company initially started as traders of fruits and vegetables in the local market. From there they have grown and entered the global market. They have established the company as one of Kenya’s leading horticultural exporters. They are currently growers and exporters of Floricultural & Horticultural produce with over 50 years of experience. Their main products include flowers, vegetables, fruits and freight logistics. The head office of Shalimar Flowers (K) is situated within the vicinity of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The farms and packhouses are located in the heart of Kenya’s prime agricultural regions. Customer needs and expectations are the main driving force in Shalimar Flowers’ company-wide endeavour to achieve customer satisfaction through the appropriate management of human, natural and other resources. The company has experience in exporting to over 40 countries worldwide including Australia, Canada, European countries, Gulf countries, South East Asia and the UK.

The company owns a warehouse where all the products are stored in a cool and dry environment. The warehouse is away from any direct sunlight or heat and is pest free. Shalimar Flowers (K) packs the products manually into 4 kg boxes. They have a fleet of refrigerated trucks with tracking facility and cold storage. It is ensured that the entire supply chain is cold from farm to aircraft via consolidation at the airport warehouse. Sea, Air and Land shipment are the preferred delivery methods through Mombasa Port. For sea shipments, consignments are ready in at least a week. For air shipments, it takes around 3 days for the consignment to be ready.

Shalimar Flowers (K) Ltd is engaged with wide-ranging efforts to increase efficiency and improve quality standards. There are regular trials of new machinery to increase the output and reduce cost with an emphasis on improved appearance, eating quality and extended shelf life. Most of the retailers and consumers are making their choices based on the commitment towards food safety, quality standards, and high ethical, social and environmental responsibility of the supplier. Shalimar Flowers is committed to continuously meet those expectations. Each fruit box is hand-packed and visually inspected. Packers check each piece of fruit that is packed and discard any that are not up to their standard. The company has several certifications like Fairtrade, BRC, EU Organic, GRASP and GLOBAL G.A.P.

Shalimar Flowers has a 170 ha farm located on the northern shores of Lake Naivasha. The group has four farms strategically located around Kenya taking advantage of geographical location and proximity to reliable water sources, ensuring that they are able to harvest the best quality produce year-round. Shalimar Farm is located 280 kilometres to the west of Nairobi, on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The group currently grows 225 ha of Hass Avocado with the plan to increase this area to 500 ha over the next three years. Avocados are harvested between March and November in Kenya. Shalimar group has invested in a $1.2 million processing, a pre-cooling and cold storage facility for Avocadoes in Kabuku Farm, Thika which is fifty kilometres north of the capital city of Nairobi.

Shalimar Farm runs its own reverse osmosis plant. The company practices an all-inclusive Integrated Farming Practice which incorporates eco-friendly agricultural practices. In addition to ensuring improved soil fertility for sustained farming, they also have long term sustainable plans in place for Environmental Conservation.

As part of their sustainable farming practices, they carry out intensive research and development in organic methods of pest management by the rearing and introduction of beneficiaries and maintaining a worm hatchery for soil enhancer, in addition to the use of Bio Pesticide plant extracts. They have a fixed planting program with intervals for crop rotation (to allow adequate time for soil revival) and differing rainfall regimes.

Avocado is a fruit with high nutritional value and is considered a major tropical fruit, since it is rich in protein and contains fat-soluble vitamins lacking in other fruits, including Vitamins A and B, and median levels of vitamins D and E. It contains different oil levels in the pulp, thus it is widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, and for obtaining commercial oils similar to olive oil, because of their similar fatty acid composition. Avocados are a good source of fibre, folate, vitamin K, pantothenic acid and copper and provide good fats.

Shalimar Flowers (K) Ltd offers jumbo Hass avocados of Kenyan origin. They offer fresh and whole fruit produced using organic methods of production. The Hass avocado is one of the most delicious varieties of avocado around, with a rich creamy flesh and superior taste. The variety has dark green bumpy skin that darkens as it ripens, eventually reaching a very dark shade that is almost black. Firm, uncut avocados can be safely stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They are suitable for consumption and further processing. Samples are available upon request.