Verfrut’s New Fruit Packaging Cuts Emissions and Saves Energy

Powering up efficiency while lowering energy costs and environmental impact, Verfrut works with Smurfit Westrock on a redesigned blueberry tray.

Verfrut, a leading fruit producer in Chile and Peru, struggled with inefficient cooling and packaging that increased costs and emissions. Smurfit Westrock helped design better packaging with improved ventilation, boosting efficiency and sustainability. This led to lower energy use, reduced CO₂ emissions, and better quality fruit for customers.

The Challenge

Verfrut, with more than 7,500 productive hectares in Chile and Peru, has established itself as one of the leading producers and exporters of grapes, blueberries, and lemons, reaching over 50 countries across five continents. In Peru, its subsidiary Agrícola Rapel produces around 1 million boxes of blueberries each year. However, the company needed to reduce fruit cooling times. The boxes supplied by their local provider did not allow for efficient ventilation, which resulted in high energy costs and CO₂ emissions. This situation negatively affected both the profitability of the operation and its commitment to sustainability.

The Approach

The Smurfit Westrock Peru team conducted frequent visits to the plant to gain a detailed understanding of the cooling process at the packing stage. Using our SupplySmart methodology and the Total Savings concept as the basis for analysis, we evaluated Verfrut’s entire supply chain to identify opportunities for optimization. To ensure product integrity, we also reviewed historical data from the previous box design to assess humidity behavior. Based on these insights, we designed a new package with improved ventilation, while preserving the box’s strength and graphic appearance. Working closely with the client, we demonstrated that small design adjustments could deliver a significant impact without disrupting operations.

The Result

The redesigned packaging delivered measurable operational and environmental benefits for Verfrut and its subsidiary Agrícola Rapel. Improved ventilation enabled a 10% reduction in fruit cooling times, which in turn drove a 10% decrease in both energy consumption and maintenance costs. These efficiency gains contributed to a reduction of 18.1 thousand tons of CO₂ emissions, reinforcing Verfrut’s sustainability objectives. In addition, better temperature management helped preserve fruit quality, resulting in improved product condition and an enhanced experience for Agrícola Rapel’s customers.

Products used by this client

Produce Packaging

Our high-performance produce boxes and produce trays are specifically designed to optimize product protection while enhancing merchandising and logistical efficiency

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Corrugated Trays

Our portfolio of standard and differentiated corrugated trays are engineered to match your product specifications, supply chain demands, and diverse channel requirements.

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