Archive For The “News” Category
Southern hemisphere citrus exports have risen by more than 25 percent over the past 10 years, with the European market and the easy peeler category driving much of the growth, according to data from the World Citrus Organization (WCO).
Shipments from the region including South Africa, Peru, Chile, and Argentina – rose 27 percent from 2.6 million metric tons (MT) in 2010 to 3.3 million MT in 2019, with the majority of the growth coming after 2014. The region with the highest share of southern hemisphere citrus imports is the European Union with 34 percent. Next is Asia with 24 percent, North America with 18 percent, the Middle East with 13 percent and Eastern Europe with 7 percent.
The easy peeler category has been responsible for most of the growth. In 2008 there was a volume of 342,000MT of mandarins and tangelos traded worldwide from the southern hemisphere. In 2014 this figure increased slightly to 465,000MT.
However, to 2019 there was an increase to more than 739,000MT, representing 16 percent of southern hemisphere citrus exports. On average in this category there has been a 10 percent growth per year for the last five years.
North America imports the largest volumes of easy peelers from the southern hemisphere, with a total of 39 percent in 2019. Of this total, Chile is the leading exporter to this market with almost 150,000MT. In second place comes Peru with approximately 70,000MT, followed by South Africa, Uruguay and Argentina.
In second place as an importer is the European Union with 27 percent, which is over 200,000MT. In this case, South Africa is in the leading exporter, with a total of almost 150,000MT of the total exported. Peru is followed with a total of approximately 50,000MT.
In third position as an importer is Asia with 18 percent, representing almost 150,000MT, with Australia as the leading exporting country with almost 70,000MT. South Africa follows with 50,000MT, and in last place with 10,000MT each are Peru and Argentina.
A busy Texas port of entry has begun on a $40 million consruction project to cut wait times for produce and other agricultural goods.
Thirteen of 24 new secondary inspection bays at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge will include cold storage unit equipment to ensure inspections don’t harm produce shipments.
“With the continued increase of imports from Mexico, especially produce-related commodities, that require an inspection from our agriculture specialists, having these additional dock spaces will have a significant positive impact on our ability to expedite the processing time and get shipments on their way into U.S. commerce,” Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas director, said in a news release.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, General Services Administration and City of Pharr, Texas, formed a partnership that allows the city to donate to the project.
“The additional cold storage bays will also serve proactively in maintaining the integrity of certain products while they are inspected in climate-controlled areas, rather than exposing them to the South Texas heat,” Rodriguez said.
A 10,000-square-foot inspection and training facility will enhance the Custom and Border Protection’s agricultural specialist ability to detect pests, diseases and related testing on agricultural products.
The port processed nearly 1,800 commercial trucks transporting an average of more than $13 million worth of agricultural products each day in fiscal year 2019, which is nearly 15 percent of all fresh produce imported into the U.S.
“The City of Pharr remains committed to working with our federal partners to identify and implement innovative methods to expedite traffic and trade at our international port of entry, making border crossings and inspections function more effectively while helping our trade partners process and cross their goods more efficiently,” Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez said.
By Kelly Miller, Assistant Manager, ALC Los Angeles
There is so much uncertainty surrounding this pandemic, we are bound to see impacts on our food system and the supply and demand of fresh produce. Growers, packers, processors, transportation and shipping are some of the industries that have been affected. Halts and delays due to insufficient labor in the fields will cause dwell times to increase for drivers and ultimately delay transportation to stores as well as price hikes and availability of products. Tom Stenzel, CEO of The United Fresh Produce Association, estimates that the produce industry will take a $5 billion dollar hit from the Covid-19 outbreak. Stenzel stated that “restaurants and other foodservice outlets account for as much as 40% of fresh fruit and vegetable sales” and it’s unfathomable to be shifting that amount to retail outlets.
So far, we have not seen a shortage of produce in our stores which is great for consumers. Many people are looking to increase their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables hoping to boost their immune systems in order to stay healthy and combat this virus. Behind the scenes, industry members are dealing with logistical complications like making sure the labor force in the fields, packing houses and stores are safe and employees are able to work.
In the transportation industry, there is a growing concern for driver shortages due to health issues as well as limited resources out on the road. Many rest stops have been closed which means limited bathroom or shower availability. These are just a few challenges that drivers are facing and some have even decided to retire early due to the pandemic. I don’t know about you, but I would not want to work without these necessities.
I would personally like to take the time to thank all the essential workers. Drivers, growers, manufacturers, grocery store employees and the healthcare workers for they are the heroes in this pandemic!
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Kelly Miller began working for the Allen Lund Company in October of 2001. She started her career as a transportation broker, was promoted to operations manager and now is the assistant manager of the Los Angeles Sales office.
Walmart has launched a pilot program using automated drones to deliver grocery and household items to consumers.
“Our latest initiative has us exploring how drones can deliver items in a way that’s convenient, safe, and – you guessed it – fast,” said Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product for Walmart. “…we’re taking the next step in our exploration of on-demand delivery by announcing a new pilot with Flytrex, an end-to-end drone delivery company.”
The pilot launched recently in Fayetteville, NC, and focuses on delivering select grocery and household essential items from Walmart stores using Flytrex’s automated drones. The drones, which are controlled over the cloud using a smart and easy control dashboard, will help the company gain valuable insight into the customer and associate experience, from picking and packing to takeoff and delivery.
“We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone,” said Ward. “That still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier. Take for example our autonomous vehicle work with Gatik, Ford and Nuro – we’ve gained loads of valuable insight into how autonomous vehicles fit within our business.”
The company said at the end of the day, it’s learnings from pilots such as this that will help shape the potential of drone delivery on a larger scale.
U.S. fresh fruit imports in July fell by 14 percent from last year to $857million, driven by declines in Hass avocados and bananas, according to the USDA.
While the figure is a big decline from the previous year, it is only marginally below the level recorded in July 2018. Hass avocados – which in July typically represent around a quarter of the U.S.’s total fresh fruit imports by value – fell by 32 percent to $189 million.
Bananas were the other major fruit import to experience big decline, falling 15 percent to $147 million. Imports of citrus overall remained flat at $184.3 million, although mandarin imports almost doubled in the month to hit $42.5 million, while lemons and clementines both saw declines of about 30 percent.
The fresh deciduous fruit category also fell, declining by 28 percent to $68.9 million, which was largely due to lower imports of table grapes and apples.
Imports from Mexico – which in July usually supplies around a third of the total – dropped by 14 percent to $317.6 million. Meanwhile, fresh fruit imports from Peru also fell by 14 percent to $104.4 million.
By Texas International Produce Association
Pharr, Texas: A celebration for the “Start of the Produce Season 2020-2021” was held on October 8, 2020 at the Pharr International Bridge, which seems appropriate for a bridge that crossed 190,174 fresh produce truckloads in FY2020 – more than any other international bridge in the US.
Over 65 percent of all the fresh produce crossing from Mexico through Texas is crossed at the Pharr International Bridge. Plans are already in place to expand the bridge by another 4 lanes in order to expedite crossings.
“In addition to the bridge expansion, three other projects are up for bids on October 2021,” said Luis Bazan, Pharr Bridge Director. “Under the DAP 16 [Donations Acceptance Program] these projects include an expansion of the dry dock, a cold inspection facility and the regional agriculture lab and training center.” Funding is already approved for these projects, according to Bazan.
Founded in 1942, the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) promotes, advocates, educates and represents the nearly $8 billion in fresh produce that is either grown in the state or calls Texas the first point of US-arrival for North American distribution.
A merger has been announced by Washington Fruit & Produce Co. and Yakima Fresh to sell apples, cherries and pears.
The new partnership, Washington Fruit Sales, merges Yakima Fresh with the Washington Fruit & Produce sales team, according to a news release. Roche Fruit Co., which has marketed fruit through Yakima Fresh, continues to do so, while owning and operating its farming and packing operations.
Tommy Hanses, CEO of Washington Fruit & Produce, said he and his partners, Don and Doug Gibson of Mount Adams Fruit Co., are excited to work with the Roche Fruit and Yakima Fresh teams.
“We share many of the same values and philosophies, including commitment to quality and excellence in all that they do,” Hanses said. “The fit between these organizations enhances our ability to serve the needs of our customers.”
Washington Fruit & Produce was founded in 1916, and Roche Fruit was founded two years later.
“We have known the Washington Fruit team and organization for years and believe the opportunity to partner with another long-term, quality focused, family owned organization is really unique and will resonate with our customers,” Michael Roche, president said.
Steve Smith, general manager of Yakima Fresh, said the merger provides the company with an “exceptional opportunity.”
“The breadth and depth of our combined programs is very exciting,” Smith stated.
Yakima Fresh was founded in 2005, by three Yakima apple companies — Hansen Fruit & Cold Storage Inc., Roche Fruit Co. LLC, and Yakima Fruit & Cold Storage Co. Inc. — and Stadelman Fruit LLC, Zillah, Wash.
Starr Ranch Growers, Wenatchee, Wash., announced this spring it will be marketing Stadelman Fruit’s crops.
CMI Orchards, Wenatchee, also formed a partnership this spring with Yakima Fruit and Cold Storage Co.
Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee, became the marketer of cherries and apples from Hansen Fruit in 2018.
WENATCHEE, WA: Furthering its commitment to being a one-stop-shop for retailers looking for premium apples, pears and cherries grown in Washington State, CMI Orchards LLC reports continued expansion for the company. Strategic partnerships with Yakima Fruit, as well as with Pine Canyon Growers, in addition to significant internal growth, has added over 4 million boxes to CMI’s manifest.
“This is all a part of a long-range plan for strategic growth to better serve our customers,” said CMI President, Bob Mast. “The design began to unfold back in 2018 when CMI Orchards added Pine Canyon Growers as a grower, packer and shipper. This addition greatly strengthened our manifest and our progress has enabled us to team up with another great partner in Yakima Fruit.”
“Yakima Fruit, formerly connected to Yakima Fresh, has a highly desirable manifest that greatly bolsters our offerings, including exceptional early Honeycrisp and high-colored genetic strains of Honeycrisp, Gala and Fuji,” said Mast. “The partnership also adds considerable Cosmic Crisp volume.” According to Mast, the partnership was executed on March 20, 2020.
As a result of recent growth, CMI reports the following increases in their core, organic and branded offerings: Granny Smith (+89%), Gala (+44%), Pink Lady (+92%), Fuji (+62%), Honeycrisp (+62%), and organic Honeycrisp (+47%). According to CMI, their total organic crop has surpassed 3.5 million boxes, which is made up of increases in core organic varieties such as Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp, in addition to branded organics which create opportunities for retail pricing tiers that help boost sales. In 2020, CMI will bring the first Washingtongrown EverCrisp to market, and will launch the very first harvest of organic EverCrisp nationwide.
Mast reports that in addition to high production orchards, the Yakima Fruit partnership brings an opportunity to strategize on future plantings with available unplanted acreage to best meet the needs of CMI’s retailer and consumer preferences for both apples and cherries. “CMI is thrilled with the opportunity this blank slate provides and is looking into planting early cherry varieties, licensed branded apples and cherries, as well as high flavor, high quality core apple varietals.”
“Between our exceptional domestic apples, premium managed varieties, year-round supply and commitment to innovation, we are perfectly positioned to serve the growing needs of the market,” said Mast. “CMI is already known within the industry as a leader for new branded items and organics, and this partnership will enable us to continue to pioneer advancements in these areas while expanding our fruit supply, meeting the needs of all of our customers. “We are very proud to welcome the Yakima Fruit team to the CMI Orchards Family and look forward to a long-lasting partnership,” Mast said.
ABOUT THE COMPANIES
CMI Orchards, founded in 1989, is the sales and marketing arm of McDougall and Sons, Columbia Fruit Packers, Double Diamond Fruit Company, Highland Fruit Company and Pine Canyon Growers. With 9 warehouses locations throughout the State of Washington, this new partnership will add one additional packing shed, greatly increasing CMI’s production capacity and efficiencies.
Yakima Fruit was incorporated in 1949 by the Cohodas Brothers Company of Michigan, a wholesale produce distribution company with branches throughout Michigan and Wisconsin. Following World War II service with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Herbert L. Frank relocated to Yakima, Washington to assume management of the recently acquired packing and storage facility. Subsequently, Yakima Fruit was managed by Lawrence C. Frank and then Michael C. Wilcox, a third-generation grower with sales and marketing experience. In April 2018, a majority interest in Yakima Fruit was acquired by Pioneer Partners LLP, an investment subsidiary of the Hancock Natural Resources Group.
Berry marketer Sun Belle Inc. has agreed to acquire the business and property of CoolHouse Distribution Center, LLC in Laredo, Texas. The acquisition adds a fifth Sun Belle distribution center to company operated facilities in Jessup, Maryland; Miami, Florida; Schiller Park, Illinois; and Oxnard, California.
CoolHouse’s three-year old facility has 35,000 square feet of refrigerated and freezer space on 11.4 acres of land. The building was designed to be doubled in size and is strategically located between Laredo’s two international bridges across the Rio Grande, the Colombia Solidarity Bridge and the World Trade Bridge. The Port of Laredo is the largest inland port of entry in the US and is currently the nation’s top US gateway for international trade.
CoolHouse Distribution Center was established in 2017 by Lucy Montemayor and her father Rodolfo Delgado, principals of well-known customs broker Rodel International, Inc. CoolHouse provides client-specific value-added services including quality inspections, sorting, repacking, labeling and building orders. Currently CoolHouse transloads and handles an average of 50-60 trucks daily. The facility is certified to handle organics, is Kosher certified, and is approved by US Customs to transload In-Bond shipments with Canadian and European destinations.
Janice Honigberg, president of Sun Belle Inc., announced that Sun Belle has purchased 100% of CoolHouse Distribution Center and will maintain the existing CoolHouse third party business under the CoolHouse banner. Lucy Montemayor will join Sun Belle as general manager of the Laredo distribution center.
“I have known and worked with Lucy for more than 20 years and have always been impressed by her expertise and integrity,” said Honigberg. “She has done amazing work in building a state of the art facility and a thriving business with the utmost attention to quality and detail. I am delighted that she will be an integral part of our Sun Belle team, and look forward to her leadership as we grow CoolHouse, establish Sun Belle Laredo, and install new blueberry packing and heat seal lines.”
Montemayor said she is excited to join forces with Sun Belle. “Janice and others strongly urged me to start CoolHouse to help meet the growing need for transloading and other services. We designed our facility from the ground-up in such a way that the warehouse can be expanded by another 35,000 feet in the same configuration. We built it with expansion in mind – I’m confident that Sun Belle will benefit greatly from this foresight as its business continues to grow.”
Honigberg added, “We have long known that a Sun Belle refrigerated handling and distribution center in Texas was our next step. This took on greater importance following our recently announced long-term exclusive marketing and distribution agreement with Giddings Mexico.” Under that agreement, Sun Belle markets all of Giddings Mexico’s conventional and organic blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
Patricio Cortes, general manager and co-founder of Giddings Mexico, said, “We are extremely pleased that Sun Belle is establishing a distribution center in Laredo. As we continue to increase our berry production in many diverse growing areas throughout central and northern Mexico, we are confident that this centralized distribution center will add significant customer support and real time responsiveness so that the freshest product delivers from our farms to retailers and to consumers.”
Honigberg noted that in addition to CoolHouse, a sales and distribution company named Sun Belle Laredo will also be established to deliver berries directly to customers in the south and southwest and for customer pick-ups. “Between our five distribution centers we can service retailers and food service providers throughout the country with even better efficiency and coverage.”
Sun Belle Inc. was established in Washington, DC in 1986 by Honigberg and is the exclusive marketer of the Sun Belle and Green Belle brands. The company distributes conventional and organic blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries; certified biodynamic organic cranberries and blueberries; golden berries and red currants; and green house and specialty produce. In addition to the new warehouse in Laredo, Texas, Sun Belle also has distribution facilities and sales teams in Jessup, Maryland; Miami, Florida; Schiller Park, Illinois; and Oxnard, California.
Walmart and Condor Properties recently broke ground on a signature brand new state-of-the-art distribution center in Vaughan, ON. On the heels of announcing a major $3.5 billion investment into all aspects of the business, Walmart’s new facility is a next generation 550,000-square-foot distribution center.
“This is a very exciting time for Walmart Canada and our customers across the country. Our new distribution centre is going to be a world-class facility, which will help us grow and make our business better and simpler for our customers,” said Horacio Barbeito, president and CEO of Walmart Canada. “These are challenging times for everyone, but we are investing for growth because we believe in Ontario and Canada’s future and are proud to do business in this great country.”
When the modern facility is operational in 2024, the site will handle ambient general merchandise and food products. More than 70 million cases of Canadians’ favourite products from more than 3,000 suppliers, including big brands to small businesses, will flow through this distribution centre annually — the highest volume of any Walmart facility in the country. The project is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs in Vaughan and benefit the local economy.
The new facility in Vaughan is in addition to a brand new 300,000-square-foot distribution center currently under construction in Surrey, BC. Walmart is also renovating an existing distribution centre in Cornwall, ON.
The distribution centers are part of a suite of investments Walmart Canada is making to generate significant growth and to make the online and in-store shopping experience simpler, faster and more convenient for Walmart’s customers. The investment over the next five years will lead to the use of advanced technologies working alongside associates in a state-of the-art facility to move products as quickly as possible.