Panoramic Fruit Company
Current Availability for the Panoramic Fruit Company
This page serves to keep the visitor to the site updated on what is for sale at any given moment. The bulk of the fruit that we produce is only available in quantity from the end of June to the end of September. The precise timing varies every year and I will do my best to post the start of each crop. This is not an exact science!
Each year, there may be new fruits coming into production that I will be selling wholesale to qualified buyers. I have put together a page devoted to identifying fruit coming in the years ahead. Take a look at what is Coming in 2012 while you are here visiting this web site.
I am not open to the public and do not offer tours. This is a working commercial farm with few good roads and is just not safe for tour groups.
Availability for 2012
February 14, 2012
A new year and hopefully, a much better one. Last year was quite strange as to rainfall timing and amounts and there were several large crop losses as a result. Steps have been taken to try and even out the soil moisture availability and I am hopeful that this will help to produce large healthy harvests.
The rainfall that triggers the start of the flowering season has not yet commenced so, once we see flowering I will post the beginning harvest dates for each fruit that we grow. Some trees such as the durian and pulasan do not wait for the rains and will be ready during August.
Rambutan and mangosteens sell themselves but longan is one fruit that the people of Puerto Rico are missing out on. Sweeter and juicier than a canepa with more inside to eat, it is a delicious and nutritious fruit and more people need to give it a try. Schools and hospitals should get in touch as well, and I will do my best to try and get this fruit out for sampling.
Availability for 2011
May 5, 2011
The rambutan harvest for 2011 is going to start the second half of July and run into August. The largest tonnage will be in the middle of August. The strange way that the trees are flowering will possible lead to a long season but it is hard to say at this point in time.
There will be limited quantities of mangosteens for the market in Puerto Rico and brokers are welcome to inquire. The earliest fruit will be at the end of June and increase into July. the quantities fall off rapidly and there may be very little in August.
Please check out the Coming in 2012 page as the year progresses.
General Notes
Please contact Robert Luciano in Mayaguez, PR at (787) 672-2134 and if you want to speak to me, Robert can give you my contact information. We are working with brokers in San Juan who have done an excellent job introducing this new fruit to Puerto Ricans. I give them credit for being so forward-looking and willing to experiment.
It is a risky business to try and bring new fruits into the aisles of supermarkets; every square foot has to produce a profit. So I thank those of you willing to join me on this journey. I can say that there are even more fruits coming in the years ahead that most people have never heard of. In all sizes, shapes, colors, flavors and smells...
The strained economy has highlighted the need for more "homegrown" produce. But even without strains on the economy, there should always be an emphasis on local produce. Locally grown fruits and vegetables can sometimes offer many advantages over produce flown in or brought in on ships besides just the price. Homegrown also means fresher and better tasting because of that. And nutrient content is the highest if there is less time between picking and getting the fruit into the stores. This has caused a renewed interest in 'growing your own.'
The island of Puerto Rico has allowed a trend away from self-subsistence (true in many areas outside of Puerto Rico, too) and high prices have caused many people to reconsider this, to seek out alternatives. On an island where tropical conditions prevail, so much more could be done to bring some of the food production back to this fertile gem in the Caribbean. There is a wide range of soils, rainfall amounts and temperatures as you move around this isle and go up into the mountains and significant impact on jobs available could also result from an expansion in growing locally. This goes way beyond coffee and citrus and plantains.
I try to sell as much of what I produce locally in Puerto Rico as I can but it is not always possible to sell everything in time when you have a perishable product. This is in part because my production continues to increase in tonnage each year as the trees mature and I am very reluctant to waste fruit. Ever. Losses in the tons led me to look for overseas markets for the rambutan in 2008 and in 2011 I obtained a permit that enables me to ship rambutan all over the United States (except Hawaii). And it is possible that Puerto Rican rambutan could find homes in countries as far away as Britain, the Bahamas, St. Maarten, Canada or Japan, just not in the lower 48. I must emphasize that at this time, I am now able to sell fresh rambutan in the States. Credit for this goes to Dr. Goenaga and his fellow researchers for their patience and determined efforts and research showing that rambutan is safe for shipping to the States as an unirradiated fruit.
Supplemental Note
I would also like to open up the rambutan distribution to other wholesale customers in the Caribbean and the lower 48 states!!!!!!!! Logistics would be the biggest issue to overcome; the more the importer could do to facilitate the movement of rambutan fruit from the farm gate to their door, the more easily I would be able to supply them. The fruit would come off the trees and be in your hands within 48 hours or less. I would do my best to expedite the movement from Puerto Rico with USDA inspections and attached inspection certificates. Brokers who are currently bringing produce from Puerto Rico to their respective markets would be able to try this fruit possibly for the first time. Each country's agriculture department would need to be consulted to be make sure that the importation of rambutan is legal.
The airports we are closest to are in Mayaguez (MAZ) and Aguadilla (BQN). Some customers may be able to obtain fruit by sea. Cruise ships are also welcome to contact me and their brokers could coordinate the deliveries with their sailing schedules in July and August.
Seasonal versus non-seasonal fruit pricing
In general, fruit that is available year round is priced competitively because every major store has them, needs to sell them quickly as they are perishable and must compete with all of the other vendors. Seasonal fruit is in a different category. Stores try to prevent losses by marking it up higher in case they can not sell it quickly enough to beat spoilage. An example of this would be strawberries although increasingly, they are available every month. They are also quite perishable.
Rambutan is in a special category for Puerto Rico between high priced seasonal fruit and lower priced non-seasonal fruit because it will be seasonal, appearing during the summer but available in large enough quantities that the price should come down. Look for this in the years to come. It is also not as perishable as many other fruits.
Minimum quantities, terms and other details to be worked out by email at wholesale@panoramicfruit.com
Mangosteen, Longan and Durian
I continue to receive emails about the mangosteen supply and for the first time, in 2012, I am releasing limited quantities into the Puerto Rican market. Brokers are welcome to contact us.
Very young developing mangosteen
Durian in 2012
The durian crop continues to increase each year. I have a few new trees coming into production every year and for those who love this fruit, it will be a treat.
Longan in 2012
This year we expect the longan to produce an earlier crop. Timing will be determined by the onset of flowering and this will be posted later this year. This is a very sweet and interesting fruit that looks like a brown canepa but has more to eat in each one- the seed is much smaller.
Durian
Branches loaded with durian flower buds as yet unopened
Durian fruit tends to be available sometime in August and into September every year. What this pictures shows comprises hundreds of flowers about to open. After fertilization, this section of the branch may only have 2 to 5 fruits still developing!
Wholesale inquiries are welcome at wholesale@panoramicfruit.com
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A close-up of the Malabar Chestnut, Pachira glabra.
The flower is followed by a pod containing about 2 dozen
delicious nuts a bit smaller than a hazelnut.
We grow them for erosion control. And snacks.
Rambutan
Mangosteen and Longan
Contact R. Luciano at (787) 672-2134 for more information.
Contact us at wholesale@panoramicfruit.com or call R. Luciano at(787) 672-2134