Posts Tagged “feature”
Peruvian avocado exports to the U.S. have completed another year with impressive gains in volume to the U.S.
Avocados from Peru, a promotion group, reports 183 million pounds of Peruvian avocados arrived in the U.S. from June to September, second in import volume to Mexico.
The USDA reports weekly shipments through October 19th reveal season-to-date imports of Peruvian avocados totaled 157 million pounds, up 12 percent from 140.2 million pounds a year go.
USDA monthly trade statistics show even bigger gains. The agency reports the U.S. imported more than 83,000 metric tons from Peru from January through August, 24 percent above last year’s level. By value, the U.S. imported about $221 million worth of Peruvian avocados in the first eight months of 2019, up 53 percent from 2018.
Peru accounted for 11.4 percent of U.S. avocado import volume and 11.3 percent of U.S. import value for the January through August, up from 5.3 percent of volume and 5 percent of value for the same period in 2015.
Avocados from Peru said that from June to September, the country is the largest exporter to Europe and the second largest supplier of imported avocados to the U.S.
Gerawan Farming Inc. of Sanger, CA and Wawona Packing Co. LLC of Cutler, CA have completed a merger. Paine Schwartz, an existing investor in Wawona and a global leader in sustainable food chain investing, is partnering with both companies to facilitate the transaction. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Both Gerawan and Wawona are third-generation family businesses. Gerawan is a stone fruit industry pioneer with best-in-class farming, packing practices, and proprietary varieties marketed under the Prima brand. Wawona is a California-based supplier of high-quality stone fruit and a leader in the organic segment of the market. The merger builds upon the legacies and reputations of the two industry-leading companies and creates an enhanced platform for growth and innovation. The combined business will be able to better serve its customers and create significant opportunities for employees.
The combined company will be led by Dan Gerawan, who will be the largest individual shareholder and chief executive officer of the merged entity. Brent Smittcamp, current executive chairman of Wawona, will also remain a significant shareholder and continue to be highly involved with the combined company. The management team will be comprised of leaders from both companies.
Gerawan said, “At Gerawan, innovating on a large scale to grow, pack and ship the world’s best fruit has been key to our success, and those efforts have always hinged on investing in our employees.”
Smittcamp said, “Over the last several years, we have focused on accelerating Wawona’s growth by building on the inherent strengths of our business and management team. Our acquisition last year of Burchell Nursery Inc. was one example, and now this historic merger with Gerawan takes it to yet another level.”
A growing, marketing and distribution partnership has been formed with BlueDrop of Jalisco, Mexico by blueberry grower Consalo Family Farms of Egg Harbor City, N.J.,
Consalo will sell and distribute BlueDrop blueberries and other products in the U.S. and Canada through the partnership.
BlueDrop is a large distributor of blueberries, bananas and other products — including proprietary varieties — in Mexico, with more than 32,000 acres of production, according to a news release.
“This new partnership provides us with clarity throughout the distribution chain and provides retail customers as well as consumers the freshest blueberries available,” Hector Bonilla, CEO and chairman of the board of BlueDrop Cos., said in a news release.
“We are very excited about partnering with a company of BlueDrop’s magnitude,” Skip Consalo, president, said in the release. “The growth that we envision in not only the blueberry category but across multiple other produce categories is something that we feel will greatly benefit our customers but ultimately the consumer.”
A record $7.89 billion in Fresno County agriculture production was hit in 2018, a 12 percent increase over 2017, with almonds, grapes and pistachios leading the list. The information is included in an annual report from the county’s ag commissioner.
The previous record was in 2014, when crop values totaled $7.07 billion. The numbers reflect commodities for fresh and processing markets, and include row crops, dairy, livestock and other production.
Overall, the county’s fruit and nut crops were worth $4.36 billion, an 8 percent increase from 2017, topping the $4 billion mark for just the second time. Vegetable production values rose a whopping 54 percent, to $1.52 billion, about 19.3 percent of the county’s overall ag production.
The numbers don’t represent net income or losses to the producers, Fresno County Agriculture Commission Melissa Cregan wrote in the annual report.
“Crop values vary from year to year based on production, market fluctuations and weather,” she said in the report. “It is important to note the figures provided in this report reflect gross values and do not take into account the costs of production, marketing, transportation, or other ancillary costs.”
The top crops by value in Fresno County in 2018 (and 2017 rank) were:
- Almonds, $1.178 billion (1)
- Grapes (including fresh, wine, juice and raisin), $1.107 billion (2)
- Pistachios, $862.144 million (4)
- Poultry, $596.477 million (3)
- Garlic $435.340 million (12)
- Milk, $415.812 million (5)
- Onions, $370.384 m)
- Mandarins, $234.969 (6)
Fruits and nuts
Nuts are an important crop in Fresno County. Almonds have surpassed the billion-dollar mark for five years and accounted for 15% of the entire agriculture production in the county in 2018. Pistachios, which moved up a slot, saw a record crop value, according to the report.
While total grape crop values topped $1 billion, the table grape crop was valued at $409.82 million, up from $359.27 million in 2017. Per-ton prices for table grape varieties dropped, but the segment was buoyed by increased yields and more acres being harvested, according to the report.
Oranges dropped from the top 10 for the first time since 2014, although the total value rose $8.81 million to $212.13 million.
Mandarins’ dramatic drop from 2017 shows a value decrease of more than 46%, with a $197.68 million plummet in crop value — despite an increase of about 1,000 harvested acres.
Vegetables
Two years of lower vegetable crop values were wiped away with a 54% increase, to $1.52 billion, according to the release.
A 34% decrease in the crop value of “standard tomatoes” was caused by price drops from the market being “flooded with foreign imports,” according to Fresno County’s vegetable analysis.
Increased yields and price-per-ton paid for garlic boosted the crop value from 12 in 2017 to 5 in 2018. :yye
MILL VALLEY, CA – TerraFresh Organics (TFO), a new organic fruit company with a focus on supplying organic citrus, mangoes, stone fruit and grapes to North America, announces the first rollout of organic citrus and mangoes under the Earth Greens Organic label.
TerraFresh Organics has a strong supply of citrus sourcing fruit from growing partners in California, Mexico and Peru. The organic citrus line will include Earlies/Valencia oranges, Navel oranges, lemons and grapefruit. TerraFresh’s capabilities include providing customers with a year-round supply of organic citrus.
TerraFresh’s mangoes will be sourced from Ecuador, Peru and Mexico to complete a near year-round program as its principles have done for over 20 years.
“In only a few weeks, we’ll be providing customers with fresh, organic citrus from Mexico to add to our current supply of mangoes from the finest growing regions,” said Greg Holzman, co-founder and managing partner of TerraFresh Organics. “We’ve built strong relationships with our growers in Latin America and the U.S. and are confident in the excellent organic produce they provide.”
TerraFresh sought out growers in Latin America and the U.S. who are committed to organic fruit, sustainable practices and quality produce. With state-of-the-art packing and loading operations located in Central and Southern California, Nogales, AZ, McAllen, TX and Toughkenamon, PA, TerraFresh Organics ensures reliable supply and services logistic across the U.S.
A full lineup of citrus shipments in good volume is seen this season by Fruit World Co. of Reedley, CA.
The conventional and organic fruit grower and shipper has an uninterrupted supply of organic mandarins through the California season, as well as supplies of conventional stem and leaf mandarins, according to a news release.
“We’re excited to be entering citrus season with a robust organic and conventional mandarin program, which this year includes five varieties of organic mandarins and the earliest availability of conventional California mandarins,” CJ Buxman, co-founder of Fruit World and an organic mandarin grower in the San Joaquin Valley, said in the release.
Buxman grows organic satsumas, clementines, Page, Tango and Gold Nugget mandarins, with supplies shipping from November to June. Fruit World expects to increase organic mandarin volumes 20 percent this season.
The company has a year-round California organic lemon program, with peak shipping from November to March. Organic grapefruit ships in early October, followed by navels in late October. Navels peak December through February.
Other varieties, including car acaras, blood oranges, meyer lemons and Minneola tangelos, start shipping in late December, according to the company.
California lemon shipments look good this season as consumption increases and consumers discover the health benefits and versatility of the fruit.
Limonaira Co. of Santa Paula, CA began shipping lemons last August from the desert region and moved into full volume in late October. San Joaquin Valley shipments started in early October, and full weekly volumes began in early November . California’s coastal area should start shipping lemons in February.
Growing conditions were excellent this year with good rain, mild temperatures and minimal wind.
Limoneira’s volume is expected to up 5 to 9 percent.
The Wonderful Co. LLC of Los Angeles is optimistic about the launch of Wonderful seedless lemons, which began shipping in the last couple of weeks.
A first this season will be Kern Ridge Growers LLC of Arvin, CA. The operation will have a small lemon crop in December in addition to its navel orange program.
Suntreat Packing & Shipping Co. of Dinuba, CA., grows lemons that now are packed and marketed by the Limoneira Co. The company grows lemons in Central California from November. 1 to March 1.
A devastating fire at Mount Adams Fruit of Bingen, WA has led to a new and improved operation for the company.
On Oct. 18, 2017, a fire burned two of Mount Adams Fruit’s pear packing lines, packed fruit storage and shipping facility, as well as its business offices. The operation packs all of the pears of Washington Fruit and Produce Co. of Yakima, WA.
A larger line consists of a 20-lane sizer capable of processing 500 bins of fruit per shift; a smaller line has 10 lanes and can run 250 bins per shift, allowing the company to adapt as volumes fluctuate.
An automated storage and retrieval system enhances the improvements.
Fruit will be delivered from the receiving dock to dump tanks via robot, then scanned, sorted, and sized by optical sorter. Once packed, robots will deliver boxes of pears to the cold storage rooms and place the product on an intricate racking system.
Imported Peruvian grapes arriving at the Port of Philadelphia has skyrocketed since 2012, when 1,000 tons of the fruit entered Philly port facilities.
The season for Peruvian grape exports is October through March.
By 2016, that number totalled 30,000 tons compared to 52,000 in 2017 and has been 60,000 tons, and more, in 2018 and 2019.
Port figures reveal fresh and dried grapes account for around 28 percent of the Peruvian freight tonnage shipped to Philadelphia. The fruit is second only to Peruvian oil from petrol and bitum mineral.
Peru’s third-largest product into Philadelphia is fresh or dried dates, figs, pineapples and avocados. This accounts for about 15 percent of the volume. That volume has ranged between 8,000 and 12,000 tons per year since 2013.
Coming in third are onions, shallots garlic and leaks with volume ranging between 4,000 and 7,000 tons per year since 2015.
There was no volume coming into Philadelphia in 2012.
Citrus accounts for roughly 10 percent of Peru’s ocean freight volume into Philadelphia. Bananas and plantains are a much smaller percentage.
Other fresh produce received in Philadelphia from Peru includes blueberries, tangerines, pomegranates, lemons, artichokes, asparagus and peppers.
By Produce Business
Stretched out onto 113 acres, the Hunts Point Cooperative Market is the largest food terminal market of its kind in the world – that doesn’t sell flowers. It is estimated the Hunts Point Market employs more than 10,000 people directly and indirectly, supplying 23,000 restaurateurs and providing 60 percent of the produce that feeds the area’s 23 million people.
Hunts Point opened in 1967 with more than 130 produce companies. Ten of those original wholesalers who were on The Washington Street Market moved to The Hunts Point Market: Nathel & Nathel (then Wishnatzki & Nathel), S. Katzman Produce, E. Armata, D’Arrigo, Joseph Fierman & Son, Rubin Bros., Kleinman & Hochberg (now LBD), Robt. T. Cochran, A.J. Trucco and M&R Tomato. These firms have expanded and grown in the past 52 years. Today, after tremendous consolidation, there are 32 firms in total.
How do you feed 20.3 million people? It sounds like a mind-boggling feat, but it’s what the farmers, suppliers, produce wholesalers, distributors, retailers and shippers that work in the New York Metro area do every day. According to the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S. Census Bureau, 20,320,876 people live in the area defined as the New York, Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA). In New York City alone, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the number of people at 8,398,748 as of July 2018.
When Nathel & Nathel opened at Hunts Point, the company was called Wishnatzki & Nathel. The name change came in 1997, when brothers Ira and Sheldon, the company’s third generation, took over. It was their grandfather who started his business with a pushcart in 1922 in Brooklyn. Today, with tremendous consolidation, Nathel & Nathel is among the largest companies at Hunts Point with an average of 100 trucks delivering produce every day.
“Nothing compares to Hunts Point,” says Steve Kaplan, whose company, Florida Produce Brokers, Inc. in Stuart, FL, provides mostly corn and leafy greens to the New York area. “It is in class by itself. Nothing is larger and nothing compares to the scope of what goes on there all the time. It’s the largest wholesale market in the world.”
Transportation
In the produce trade, transportation issues can arrive at a moment’s notice and attention must be given immediately.
“In our business there are so many factors affecting transportation and it has such a big effect on us,” says Stefanie Katzman, executive manager, S. Katzman Produce. “We try to mitigate it as much as we can by sourcing from multiple locations and trying to maintain an on-hand inventory, but there is only so much that can be done. Logistics is one of the most challenging parts of our industry because so much is out of our control, and everything that affects timing just trickles right down the line. There can be product delays at loading, hold-ups at previous stops, traffic, equipment issues, and about a hundred other things that affect the transporting of products from farm to table.”
Why would a wholesaler choose to hire a truck – which means dealing with the driving limits of the electronic logging device (ELD) – instead of a train? The ELD records the number of hours the driver has been driving, ensuring that the driver gets enough rest and is safer on the roads. Still, pulling off for a few hours to rest means unproductive time for perishable items.
“There is actually a lot of traffic on the railways,” says Evan Kazan, director of business development for Target Interstate. Located at Hunts Point Market, Target specializes in transporting produce. Since there are a lot of railcars on each train it takes longer to get them loaded and unloaded.
Instead of a one-day transfer, it can become two to three days. A trip that used to take six to seven days, now it is taking as long as nine days. At that point, especially when you’re dealing with produce, you’re better off going with trucks, says Kazan.
Since last year, capacity and freight rates have gone down. That means, produce wholesalers don’t have the same issues as in 2018. “Now the price difference is not as big of a difference. You are not looking at thousands of dollars, you’re looking at hundreds. For $500, I may decide it is worth it to get me my load to its destination three days earlier even if I am paying a little more. When the freight rates made the difference in price $2,000, wholesalers were faced with a potentially expensive dilemma.