Transforming Papaya Exports from Colombia to Europe

The customer faced numerous challenges revolving around maintaining a competitive advantage in the market sector, driving costs down, and solving issues around ever-increasing constraints on local airport hubs. 

• Airport capacity constraints: requiring shipments to depart from Cali instead of the customer’s local operation of Bogotá (approximately 12 hours away via ground transport) 

• Cost: Competing with established papaya exporters, particularly from Brazil, necessitated a strong focus on cost optimization to maintain a competitive edge. 

• Stakeholder coordination: bringing together local law enforcement agencies, air cargo partners, agriculture authorities, and more to ensure compliant shipments.  

The customer's operations are strategically located just two hours from Bogotá, however, due to logistical and capacity constraints at major Bogotá airports, shipments were required to depart from Cali, adding a challenging 12-hour road transport route to the overall operation. CEVA tackled this issue by developing an agile, one-day logistics operation that integrated all necessary regulatory steps, including cargo reception, security inspection, agricultural certification and customs clearance. This streamlined the process significantly, reducing transit time and minimizing potential disruptions, ensuring a seamless and efficient export flow from Colombia to European markets. 

Additionally, competing with established papaya exporters, particularly from Brazil, necessitated a strong focus on cost optimization to maintain a competitive edge. CEVA addressed this challenge by negotiating preferential freight rates with Avianca Cargo, allowing the customer to sustain a cost-effective and scalable export operation.