Here at Nim’s, we’re constantly in search for the freshest, tastiest and juiciest fruit for our crisps.  We scour the globe, endlessly seeking farms growing the type of fruit that makes you go weak at the knees with the first bite. And the second bite…and yes, the third bite too.

For the past couple of weeks we’ve directed our efforts towards finding the highest quality pineapple. I’m a big fan of pineapple: there’s something regal about the leafy crown and golden i’ve-got-prickles-but-i’m-not-going-to-hurt-you exterior that I just can’t get enough of. And that’s not even starting on the taste that can be so luxuriously juicy it may as well be served right up in a glass.

Pineapples can be found in a few different countries and each brings with it a particular trait. For example, you’ve got the sunny-fleshed Smooth Cayenne pineapple with its high sugar and acid content, and the Red Spanish pineapple with its spicy flavour and white, fibrous flesh. While rare, the Sugar Loaf pineapple cannot be forgotten: its low acid content makes it thin, sweet and watery, and it often comes with an intense green exterior.

The pineapple plant is indigenous to South America but South East Asia and Costa Rica now dominates world production. It’s obviously not a commonly grown fruit in the UK because….well, let’s admit it – without an elaborate heating system the pineapple can’t put up much of a fight against the Brits when the sun decides to make an appearance. And therein lies the problem. Transporting pineapple isn’t easy – the two main things you’ve got to watch out for are deterioration and bruises, and seeing as we can’t select the fruit to send to ourselves we’ve got to be very careful about where and who we buy it from.

After a lot of research we’re pretty sure we’ve found a supplier in Costa Rica who knows how important quality is to us. We’ve got a few more questions to ask and a few more samples to be sent, but we’re quietly confident we’ve struck gold. Pineapple gold.

We’re going to keep you updated on this one and fill you in with the facts and photos as we get them. Why? Because we know if you’re eating our crisps then you care about the taste of our pineapples as much as we do. You’ll also care that after our search for the perfect pineapple is over we need to find its perfect mate. We’re thinking mango. Another solid household favourite.

Now where in the world can we find the best quality mangos…?