Receiving Quality

Best Practice: Follow company policy on receiving quality expectations. Communicate to Strella when a load is rejected to help anticipate inventory fluctuations.

Strella quality preferences:

• Pack date: Fruit received with 21 days from pack date
• Receiving pulp temp: Between 56-60 F
• Receiving firmness: At least 45 Newtons
• No visible shoulder break
• Pallet condition: All pallets must have 48 standard cases, be undamaged, stacked square, have corner boards and banding, and nothing blocking airflow through the cases.

Loading Mix

Best Practice: Try to minimize dissimilar fruit in each room zone. Communicate to your supplier if there is excessive variety in products received.

• One country of origin (especially if mixing countries from S. America and North/Central America)
• One banana type (conventional vs. organic)
• One variety (cavendish vs. plantains)
• One supplier
• Pack dates across lots does not vary by more than 7 days

Target Dates and Stage Goals

Pair fruit with similar stage goals and shipment dates in the same room/zone

• No greater than 24 hours difference in target dates for the same room.
• Minimize split stage goals in the same room.
• Minimize mid-cycle target date and stage goal changes.