Diana Fruit Preserving Company was founded in 1921 when Alexander Diana came over from Yugoslavia bringing the tradition of Maraschino cherries to the United States. This new delicacy became very popular and really took off with the invention of the fruit cocktail in the 1930s. Today fruit cocktails are still a thriving part of the Diana Fruit business.
After the death of Alexander Diana, the company was run by his son-in-law before it was sold and bought back in 1990. Boasting 85 years of production and shipping product to both domestic and international customers, Diana Fruit is dedicated to the highest quality and food safety standards possible. This commitment is highlighted by their HACCP program, which encompasses all aspects of their manufacturing process as well as strict adherence to Kosher and Halal standards.
Improved Food Safety and Increased Productivity
Diana Fruit has long been a company on the forefront of promoting safety throughout their facilities. Their search to constantly improve their production practices, lead them to the ProBin family of solid-walled containers from Macro Plastics 9 years ago.
Diana Fruit selects premium fruits and places them into solid-walled ProBins, before sorting, preserving and packing the fruit into jars. Prior to using ProBins, the fruit was put into wood bins requiring extra liners to prevent splinters and other contaminants from getting into the product. The FDA-approved plastic materials used in manufacturing ProBins and the smooth, nonporous surfaces allow Diana Fruit to safely process their cherries directly inside the bins. The risk of product contamination has been reduced and thin liners are only necessary in the final stage of preparing cherries for fruit cocktail.
In addition to food safety, the ProBin has helped to improve working conditions and productivity. Each wood bin weighs 140 lbs and is difficult to move around. The rough surfaces often cause workers to get painful splinters. The ProBin 26-S weighs only 92 lbs and the injection-molded plastic resists splintering, so one worker can easily move each bin and the potential for injury has been reduced.
Cleanliness is a key component of any food safety program. At Diana Fruit, over 140 bins need to be washed each day. The easy-to-sanitize ProBins have cut their cleaning time by 50 percent, improving their productivity even further.
ProBin MacroLid Protects Precious Product
When Diana Fruit decided they needed a lid with more secure features, they knew they could turn to Macro Plastics for the solution. Macro Plastics investigated their needs and worked to design the new MacroLid that snaps securely to the ProBins, further reducing the risk of contamination.
“Macro’s new MacroLid is such an improvement for us. It protects our product and has reduced the potential for contaminants getting into our fruit,” stated Mehran Samimi, Executive Vice President, Diana Fruit Company.
ProBins Durability Lasts Over the Years
Diana Fruit has been using ProBins for 9 years and continues to add to their eet each year. The strength of the injection-molded plastic stands up to the wear and tear of everyday use. With the switch to plastic bins they have been able to cut their damage rate by
18.75 times, increasing the longevity of their container fleet.