About passion fruit
The various plants in the passiflora family grow in many continents from tropic to sub-tropic environments. From the Caribbean and South America to the southern part of the US, and to South Africa and South East Asia, the passion fruits take different shapes, sizes and colours, and –most importantly– different innate qualities.
Maracuja, granadilla, maypop are examples of a multitude of fruits that share botanical family but not the exact same characteristics as Maracuja. Hence, we can offer a diverse product portfolio, with manifold scopes of application for a broad range of sectors, reflecting a careful and decades-long work with fruits with different characteristics and capacities.
We are passionate experts in passion fruit applications, solutions and products.
For over 50 years, Passina has been the main pioneer in introducing Passion Fruit to daily life in Europe and remains a leading key player in the sector to this day. Our success relies on innovation and in our close relationship with our growers and the local communities wherever passion fruit is grown, such as Australia, Ecuador, Kenya and many other locations.
Robert Barth, founder of Passina and the well-known Swiss beverage company Rivella, travelled to Australia almost 55 years ago, and tasted the passion fruit for the first time. He fell in love with its unforgettable and intense flavour.
After the successful launch of the company Rivella, the second success was achieved. The introduction of a new soft drink called Passi, thus becoming the first beverage company to offer a non-alcoholic beverage with Passion Fruit Juice, making it a real passion fruit pioneer.
And so in 1965, Passi AG was founded in Rothrist, Switzerland, starting out as a subsidiary of Rivella. Later that decade, it became an independent company, focused on producing and trading tropical fruit juices and concentrates.
Between 1972 and 1995 the Passina Group developed their passion fruit business, opening their own sites and collaborating with companies in a range of passion fruit-growing countries such as Kenya, Angola, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Ecuador.
The multifruit-processor Tropifrutas, located in Ecuador, became part of the Group back in 1995 and remained ever since one of the groups most important source for high quality passion fruit products.
The Passi AG management team devoted considerable energies to supporting the local farmer communities and helping local agricultural business continue to develop.
1998
1992 Passi AG moved its operational activities to its Dutch sister company Passi BV, part of the Netherlands-based Concentra Group, offering to its customers an expanded range of high quality juices and concentrates under a bigger portfolio, with the Passina brand.
Between 1995 and 1998 two companies were created, Passina Products BV and Passina Holding BV.
In 1998, Passina launched its first Passina logo.
2005
2000 Foundation of Passina Products USA Ltd.
2007 Passina Group’ signature fruit and main product has always been and remains passion fruit. Nevertheless the broad portfolio of fruit juices and concentrates on offer led to the elaboration of a new corporate identity.
2018