Cabbages from Yilan arrived at Roundday's facility in Dalin, Chiayi. After spot-checking their quality, staff prepared them for vacuum pre-cooling. According to the Roundday Logistics team, the system can lower cabbage temperatures from over 30°C to 5°C in about 30 minutes. The facility ships around 8–10 metric tons of fresh-cut vegetables each day. From receiving and pre-cooling to processing and delivery, every step helps preserve freshness.

"Aging is irreversible," said Chen Hsu-Chu, Chairman of Roundday Group. Fruits and vegetables continue to respire after harvest. Without prompt cooling, they deteriorate faster, and later refrigeration cannot restore their original freshness.

Established in 1993, Roundday Logistics has expanded from frozen storage and transportation into post-harvest handling of agricultural products. Chen sees the focus on agriculture's "first mile" at the 2018 National Agricultural Conference as a turning point in Roundday's move into fresh produce. As refrigeration becomes more widespread in supermarkets and foodservice operations, freshness management must also begin further upstream. That means pre-cooling produce as soon as possible after harvest, carrying out steps such as washing and cutting, and keeping it cold during storage and transport to market.

Removing Field Heat: Connecting Farms with Cold Storage

"Produce should enter the cold chain immediately after harvest. That is the standard," Chen emphasized. For cabbage, this ideally means pre-cooling within one hour of harvest to slow respiration and preserve freshness.

Putting that ideal into practice remains a challenge. In summer, Roundday Logistics sources cabbages from the mountainous areas of Nantou and Yilan; in winter, sourcing shifts to the plains of Yunlin and Chiayi. On the day of the visit, a shipment from Yilan took about three hours to reach Dalin on an open-bed produce truck. While the logistics center can cool produce rapidly, temperature management between harvest and arrival still needs closer coordination.

Large farms overseas can install pre-cooling equipment near the harvest site, Chen noted. In Taiwan, farmland is divided into smaller, more dispersed plots, so equipment and transport arrangements need to suit local conditions.

Produce is inspected on arrival. Yeh Ya-Ching, Associate Vice President of Marketing at OurMart Marketing Co., Ltd., a Roundday Group subsidiary, explained that each truckload of around 9,000 kg of cabbage is checked against product specifications covering weight, insect damage, and unusable outer leaves. For shipments from mountain areas, additional outer leaves may be retained to protect the cabbages during the longer journey, provided they remain within the acceptance specifications. Staff also blanch and taste sample leaves and send samples for pesticide residue testing before pre-cooling and processing.

Staggered Avocado Ripening to Match Restaurant Prep Schedules

Removing field heat slows the deterioration of fresh produce. For avocados and other fruits that continue to ripen after harvest, Roundday Logistics also manages when they reach the right stage for use.

In November 2019, Roundday Logistics introduced ripening technology from Farmind, a Japanese company specializing in fresh produce and cold chain logistics. Through this technical partnership, the Dalin Distribution Center now operates four ripening rooms, each with capacity equivalent to about one 40-foot container of avocados. Temperature, humidity, and ethylene levels are controlled to manage ripening.

Natural ripening alone can leave restaurants with avocados that are too firm to use, or with a whole box that ripens at once and cannot be used in time. Roundday Logistics sorts each batch by ripeness to meet customer needs. A single box can combine fruit ready to eat in about two days with fruit that will be ready in about four days, spreading use over several days.

The intended dish also affects the target ripeness. Sushi calls for softer avocados, while salads may require a firmer texture. The team considers delivery schedules and preparation times together to keep the fruit from becoming overripe before use.

"Different fruits need different ripening conditions," Chen said. Even within the same type of fruit, requirements differ by variety and origin. Storage, ripening, and temperature control after dispatch must be managed at each stage so foodservice operators can plan preparation around the expected ripeness.

Preserving Pineapples for Japan: Better Quarantine Practices Reduce Losses

Pineapple exports to Japan are a key example of Roundday Logistics' export-related work. Chen estimates that the sea voyage takes around five days. Including customs clearance, quarantine inspections, and delivery into distribution channels, the full process can take around ten days. Freshness management therefore needs to leave enough time for the fruit to be sold after arrival.

Pineapples do not need controlled ripening. The priorities are harvest maturity, pre-cooling, and stable temperature control. Unlike cabbages, which undergo vacuum pre-cooling, pineapples are generally cooled using forced-air pre-cooling. Cooperatives with suitable equipment can pre-cool, prepare, pack, and refrigerate fruit at the source, then load it directly into refrigerated containers, without routing every shipment through a logistics center. The Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) also identifies maintaining fruit temperatures at 13 ± 2°C during transport as a priority in its preservation techniques for pineapples exported to Japan.

Quarantine management has also improved. Previous detections of scale insects and cosmopterigid moths led to fumigation of pineapples at Japanese ports, increasing costs and shortening shelf life. Research teams refined the timing of pest control in the field and helped 28 packing facilities improve quarantine inspection and cleaning procedures, using dust extraction equipment and high-pressure air guns to remove remaining pests. In 2026, TARI reported that the fumigation rate for pineapple exports to Japan had fallen from 35.4% in 2023 to 16.6% in 2025, helping reduce additional treatment costs and quality losses.

These gains reflect improvements across farming, research, and packing operations. Roundday Logistics focuses on domestic cold chain services and post-harvest handling, while specialist partners handle customs declarations and ocean shipping. Chen also clarified that the company's work covers only part of the pineapple export business to Japan.

Smart Temperature Control from Processing to Foodservice Delivery

Temperature control needs to remain continuous from processing facilities to delivery vehicles. In 2020, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) integrated fleet management, thermal storage for cooling, temperature monitoring, and AI route planning into a platform for sharing cold chain transport capacity. Roundday Logistics was among the companies that adopted the platform. In 2021, ITRI transferred its smart cold chain automation technology to Roundday Dalin Cold Chain Co., Ltd. to support development of a smart fresh food logistics park.

Roundday Logistics' vehicles are equipped with GPS and temperature sensors that send cargo compartment temperature data to the system in real time, Chen explained. Different temperature zones within the logistics center are also monitored digitally, allowing central control staff to identify abnormalities. Northbound vehicles from the Dalin Distribution Center depart as early as 10 p.m., with temperature control maintained throughout delivery.

Processing operations follow ISO 22000 and HACCP standards. The vegetable cutting area is maintained at 4–7°C, while washing temperatures are kept at 2–4°C. Around 8–10 metric tons of fresh-cut vegetables are produced each day, mainly for foodservice customers.

Chen believes declining birth rates and labor shortages are making it harder for restaurants to staff washing, cutting, and ingredient preparation. Setting up an in-house chilled processing area also requires investment in equipment, premises, and hygiene management. By serving multiple customers, specialist processors can spread costs across larger volumes. Daily deliveries help restaurants reduce inventory and back-of-house space, freeing up more room for serving customers.

Reliable Supply and Preservation Technology Support Distant Markets

"Exports need volume. Without it, how can customers buy from you?" Chen said. Golden Diamond pineapples, for example, have a limited peak export season. If overseas distributors can secure supplies for only a few months, planning year-round sales becomes difficult. Extending supply requires varieties that store and travel well, along with better coordination of growing regions and harvest schedules.

With limited farmland and exposure to storms and heavy rain, Taiwan needs to focus on competitive products, Chen said. For premium fruit with prices high enough to cover freight costs, air transport may also be an option for reaching more distant markets.

 

Chen Hsu-Chu says produce should enter the cold chain immediately after harvest, a basic standard for post-harvest freshness.

In 2025, the European Union opened its market to Taiwanese mangoes and guavas. Mangoes must undergo the specified vapor heat treatment, which must be recorded on the phytosanitary certificate. Taiwanese guavas have also gained market access in the United States and Canada. Reaching distant markets, however, requires compliance with destination quarantine requirements while maintaining fruit quality on arrival.

In 2022, the Agricultural Technology Research Institute (ATRI), National Chung Hsing University, and industry partners conducted a demonstration shipment of guavas to the United States in a 40-foot container. With continuous temperature monitoring and precisely controlled cold treatment, an estimated 99% of the fruit remained marketable when the container was opened after 26 days of refrigerated sea transport. The trial showed that long-distance freshness management must meet quarantine cold treatment requirements while limiting quality deterioration caused by chilling injury.

For overseas buyers, good flavor is only the starting point. Reliable delivery and consistent quality determine whether orders continue. Through pre-cooling, ripeness management, and refrigerated delivery, Roundday Logistics helps preserve the sales window for fresh produce. Growers must also coordinate varieties, production seasons, and supply volumes so high-value agriculture can support long-term business relationships.

Reprinted from Trade Insight Biweekly