Monday November 13th, 2023

Agropecuária Schio is one of the largest apple exporters in Brazil. Based in Vacaria, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the company has more than seven thousand employees. In addition to being part of Frutas do Brasil — the export program of the Brazilian Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruit and Derivatives (Abrafrutas), with the support from the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) — since the beginning, Schio participates in fairs such as Fruit Logistica, Asia Fruit Logistica and Fruit Attraction.

And with the contacts and exposure from these global events, the company currently exports apples to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, among other countries around the world. But planting this fruit is not as simple as it seems.

“There are many details in apple production to assure we have a high quality fruit harvest, which requires control points throughout the production process, from pruning, breaking dormancy, through flowering, pollination, thinning, biological and integrated control, cultural treatments during the fruit’s development and harvest”, explains Francisco Schio, the company’s director. He also adds: “After harvesting, the apple remains alive, and requires care to preserve its characteristics for longer”.

Furthermore, Francisco highlights that the main differences of Brazilian apples are their flavor, crunchiness and juiciness. Working increasingly to maintain this high quality and advantages, Agropecuária Schio’s goal for the future is to export around 3,500 containers. In addition to technical processes, the company also depends on external factors to reach this number.

“We understand that apple production directly depends on an ecologically balanced environment in terms of climate, such as sun, cold hours and rainfall levels. All these elements of nature and meteorological parameters are factors that influence us in achieving a good apple production”, highlights Shio.

Finally, the company knows that these goals must be combined with ESG policies and environmental concerns. In this way, Francisco Schio highlights some of the actions aimed at sustainable development carried out  in his orchards.

“Some of the initiatives are: the preservation of native forest areas, the capture of rainwater, the separation of solid waste and recycling, the use of clean energy from renewable sources and the reuse of water from the production process”, concludes the director.

About Frutas do Brasil

Abrafrutas (Brazilian Association of Fruit and Derivatives Producers and Exporters), in partnership with ApexBrasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), is committed to promoting the growth of Brazilian exporters. This project aims to expand its business, open new markets, highlight Brazilian fruits’ qualities and encourage the consumption of high-quality and tasty fruits. Currently, 63 export companies in the Brazilian fruit sector participate in Frutas do Brasil, achieving partial results exceeding USD 500 million in exports. To be part of the project, you only need to be a producer and register on the website by clicking here.

About Abrafrutas

The Brazilian Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruit and Derivatives (Abrafrutas) is a non-profit association whose purpose is to represent and promote Brazilian fruit growing in the international market. Created in 2014, Abrafrutas has approximately 70 associated fruit exporters and holds approximately 85% of the total volume of fresh fruit exported by Brazil.

About ApexBrasil

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investments to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. 

In order to achieve its goals, ApexBrasil carries out several trade promotion

initiatives aimed at promoting Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and trade missions, business rounds, support to the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, among other business platforms that also aim at strengthening the Brazil brand. The Agency also acts in a coordinated way with public and private players to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil with a focus on strategic sectors for the development of the competitiveness of Brazilian companies and the country. Internally, there is a concern to provide employees with an egalitarian and fair organizational environment. This was recognized with the Great Place to Work certification, received in 2020.