Having strong family roots has been an essential factor in the success of Grupo Alta and Nogales, Ariz.-based Divine Flavor, says Carlos Bon, vice president of sales of Divine Flavor.
Sixteen years ago, Divine Flavor began its first produce shipments to supermarkets.
In 2006, Alan Aguirre, CEO of Grupo Alta, and Carlos Bon, then sales manager, joined forces with Pedro Batiz to create a brand which would eventually go on to be known as the largest grower/shipper of Mexican table grapes and bell peppers, according to a news release. Besides sharing a produce industry background, the men came from the same family.
It was this family connection, the release said, that contributed to the company’s success in the early years. And as the company grew, the family connection would become a central theme to Divine Flavor’s farm foundation, as the company works with other family-oriented producers who share the same values as the Divine Flavor company.
In the Caborca region of Sonora, an important area to the later part of the Mexico grape program, several growers harvest and pack grapes for the Divine Flavor label, the release said.
One of those growers is El Parral, a multi-generational grower who’s been working with Divine Flavor for close to a decade, the release said.
The majority of Divine Flavor’s grape production comes from the vineyards of Grupo Alta, but as demand has grown, Divine Flavor has established strategic partnerships with experienced growers in various Sonoran regions, the release said.
“If you look at some of the most successful growers here in Mexico, they all come from good families and the reason for their longevity is because family-oriented companies have stronger bonds within their organization, they have more passion, and their dedication to their farm produces excellent results which is what we look for when working external partners,” Bon said in the release.
El Parral was formed in the early 1980’s by Juan Angel Juarez Aviña. At the time, the company was one of the first grape growers in the Caborca region which produced thompson seedless, the release said. Juan Angel passed the company’s management to daughter Beatriz Juarez Gutiérrez, who is now current owner, and his grandson, Juan Gonzalo Balderas Juarez, who acts as the company’s CEO. In 2016, Juan Gonzalo was introduced to Carlos Bon, and since then, El Parral has been working with the Divine Flavor group.
“Divine Flavor represents the top of the market when it comes to grapes and their other products and working with them has been a tremendous opportunity for our company,” Juan Gonzalo said in the release.
El Parral is one of the many agricultural partners to the Divine Flavor group and each of them have their own unique story of how their business came to life, the release said. For the marketing and distribution company, their vision of being a year-round supplier of all their products has become much more a reality the past few seasons due to the partnerships they’ve created throughout the years with other family-oriented farmers, the release said.
“We work and operate in a very challenging industry,” Bon said in the release. “We are very proud of the partners we have that complement our farms and that have allowed us to grow into what we are today. They are very much a part of this group and more so, they are a part of our Divine Flavor family.”
