Paula, our Partnerships Manager, has a thing about fruit. Seriously – you’ve never met anyone as knowledgeable, enthusiastic and passionate about the benefits of every single fruit under the sun as Paula.
And the thing is, after years of working and after-working together, her wisdom and zeal have rubbed off on the rest of us. We’ve all heard so much about antioxidants, vitamins and dietary fibre that we could just as well consult on the benefits of getting your five a day and how best to grow everything, from grapes and bananas to chirimoya and lucuma, as we can on the Nordics and localisation workflows.
If ever the machines really do take over, you’ll probably find more than one of us transitioning into the fruit space – and definitely Paula, whose dream is to one day set up her own mango farm.
And it’s thanks to Paula we know everything we do about just how amazing one fruit in particular is – the incredible pineapple – not just as a source of nutrition, but inspiration. In this article, we’d like to share with you what we know – and tell you all the many ways we’ve realised that we ourselves are just as awesome as this amazingly versatile, robust and delicious fruit.
Bromelain – Breaking Down and Building Up
If we’re going to talk about the benefits of pineapple, we have to start with bromelain! This is a group of protein-digesting enzymes that is essentially unique to the pineapple plant, and can be found in all parts of the fruit and its flesh. It is especially highly concentrated in the stem, and it is extracted primarily from this part of the plant to be used in dietary supplements.
Bromelain has anti-inflammatory effects and aids digestion. In traditional South and Central American medicine, pineapple preparations containing bromelain were used for wound healing and digestive support long before modern science confirmed its properties. Today, it even has industrial uses such as tenderising meat and improving dough used in baking (meaning that pineapple is not only great on a pizza, but also in a pizza!)
What makes bromelain so special is its ability to break things down – and that’s where we see the parallel with our own operation. We are the magic enzyme of global communication, deconstructing texts as intricate as the most complex of proteins, unlocking meaning the way bromelain unlocks potential, and transforming the result into something versatile and powerful. Where others see barriers, we, like bromelain, see a path forward – and opportunities to spark innovation.
Sweet on the Outside, Strong at the Core
Perhaps the one thing we all know about pineapples is that they are about as tough as they come. It takes a pretty hefty knife to cut through that spiky outer shell, and perhaps for this reason, it’s one of the fruits that is most widely sold in preprepared form. This armoured exterior makes the pineapple robust, helping to keep it protected from pests and diseases. It also reduces the risk of fungal or bacterial infections, which is key in the humid and tropical environments where the pineapple grows.
In other words, it’s tough and serious – it knows its environment and it does everything it can to keep itself protected. Much like we understand the risks our clients face and adopt rigorous safeguards to protect them – from the QA procedures we implement to protect against errors to the privacy safeguards we deploy to protect against the unauthorised disclosure of sensitive information. These tools are our spiky outer shell.
Of course, the pineapple’s exterior is also deceptive. Because while it might seem tough, it hides an immensely sweet interior that is packed full of Vitamin C. The same is true of Comunica – our warm and personal approach is one of the things that makes us special, and like the pineapple, it’s something we package perfectly together with rigour and seriousness. The Vitamin C is the massive health boost we give to our clients, allowing them to grow their businesses abroad and improve their bottom line.
Full of Fibre for Balance and Flow
A medium pineapple contains up to 13.6 grams of fibre. That might not be as much as you get from super high-fibre fruits like raspberries, but it’s a substantial dose nonetheless, and one that will help keep everything nice and regular. The fibre in pineapple slows digestion, helping keep you fuller for longer on relatively few calories, it supports healthy cholesterol levels and reduces cardiovascular risk, and it provides fuel for beneficial bacteria that improve gut balance.
But essentially the prime benefit of fibre is that it keeps your digestive system flowing smoothly – and that’s what we do as well. Our localisation workflows are engineered to make sure that nothing gets stuck or overlooked, and that all parts of the localisation process can work together in perfect harmony. From automated tools that make hand-offs seamless to slick communication channels that keep everyone informed and in the loop, so that they can take action quickly and keep your project moving through the pipeline.
Learn More from Paula
If you’re interested in hearing more about pineapples, fruit in general, or how we take inspiration from the amazing things they do when building our systems and evolving in our work, there are plenty more pages on our site you can check out.
Head on over to Paula’s page, for example, to learn more about her passion for pineapples and the role she fulfils at Comunica. As our Partnerships and Quality Manager, she’s responsible for a lot of what makes us great – from picking the ripest talent to nurturing growth and safeguarding quality at all times.
Be sure to also check out our pricing and contact pages, where you can find out more about the wide range of services we offer, request a quote, or book a quick chat to discuss your needs. Whether you’ve got a project in mind, a market you’d like to target, or you’re simply curious to hear more about bromelain or the best ways to prepare pineapple (we love it barbecued on the grill and served with meat or prawns) we’ll always be happy to have a chat!
Bonus Facts!🍍
Once A Status Symbol
The pineapple was once a status symbol in Europe. A single fruit was once worth thousands and would get paraded around from event to event (purely for show) until it went rotten. There was even once a market for pineapple rental, and the phrase “a pineapple of the finest flavour” was once used in English to describe anything that was the best of the best.
Cultivation Challenges
Today, pineapple cultivation faces its challenges. They are farmed intensively in places like Costa Rica (which dominates the European market) within an industry built on environmental degradation and poverty wages. Unethical practices have contaminated local drinking water and exploited workers to fuel cheaper prices on European supermarket shelves.
Eco-Transport
Some supermarkets have begun selling pineapples without their emblematic green crowns. This is because these leaves take up a lot of space in transport only to then be discarded by consumers after purchase. Removing them allows more pineapples to be transported in each container, and this is better for the environment!
