Our renowned expertise in global logistics solutions gives our customers confidence when they have supply chain challenges. Ensuring our client had the essential Brazil nut ingredient for their product range meant overcoming several challenges for our team. We provided the solutions and continue to support our customer.

THE BACKGROUND

KC Group Shipping specialise in transporting goods across multiple international borders. One of our clients, a food company, had placed a large order for Brazil nuts from Bolivia. The nuts were a crucial ingredient in several of their products. KC Group Shipping worked quickly to meet the client's production schedule.

THE CHALLENGE

The logistics of importing Brazil nuts from landlocked Bolivia, even to the nearest port, presents several obstacles. During harvest, workers collect the fruit that has fallen from Brazil nut trees deep in the forests and transport them to cities like Riberalta, with challenging road infrastructure to/from the nearest port, over 1,500 kilometres away. All Brazil nut exports from Bolivia are subject to strict export regulations and inspection before they are certified for shipping.

THE SOLUTION

To overcome these challenges, KC Group Shipping developed a customised logistics plan that involved several key strategies:

• We’ve established partnerships with local logistics companies in Bolivia to handle the transportation and inspection of the nuts
• Working with local cooperatives, our Bolivian partners monitor the source, quality and processing of the product
• The consignments are collected from Northern Bolivia by truck, transported over 900 kilometres to our Container Freight Station (CFS) and loaded onto containers for transportation to the port.

The infographic below illustrates the process stages from forest to supermarket shelves.

The process allowed the products to navigate the complex transportation route and export regulations without issues. Implementing advanced real-time tracking enabled KC Group Shipping to monitor the shipment from the CFS and throughout the onward journey, which allowed us to anticipate any delays or issues and make adjustments as needed. KC Group Shipping worked closely with the food company to ensure the correct packing and labelling of the nuts to meet international shipping regulations, minimising the risk of damage or spoilage during transportation.

THE RESULTS

KC Group Shipping never leaves any element of a logistics journey to chance. We plan for many scenarios that could cause a supply chain issue, meaning fewer surprises. This planning helped ensure we successfully transported the Brazil nuts from the Bolivian forests to the food company's production facility. The nuts arrived on time and in excellent condition, allowing the food company to meet its production schedule and maintain the quality of its products. The partnership between KC Group Shipping and the client continues to this day, with KC Group Shipping providing customised logistics solutions for all their international shipments.

DID YOU KNOW

• Although most commonly known as Brazil Nuts, Bolivia is the world’s largest producer, sourced from the northern rainforest of the Bolivian Amazon region, where locally they are known as chestnuts.
• The fruit resembles coconuts, with pods containing more than a dozen Brazil nuts.
• 75 per cent of the economy in the Beni region, which borders Brazil in the northeast of Bolivia, comes from Brazil nuts.