Distributors cope with COVID-19

Arizona’s Santa Cruz County, which encompasses the city of Nogales and its assortment of produce houses, was one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but most of the produce distributors based there say they came through the virus episode fairly well.

“We took every precaution that we had to when it came to COVID,” said Corey Calixtro, sales coordinator for Calixtro Distributing Inc., Rio Rico, Ariz.

That included checking temperatures and testing employees if they felt under the weather.

“If they did come up positive, we would make them quarantine for the 14 days,” he said.

“We did everything possible to keep them safe and to keep the drivers safe.”

The decision to come into work or stay at home was left up to the sales team.

“It was a scary time for everyone, and we were fortunate enough that we were able to still be able to be here and get our job done and get product to families around the U.S.,” Calixtro said.

Rio Rico-based Ciruli Bros. was hit hard by COVID-19 last Christmas, said partner Chris Ciruli.

Between Christmas and New Year’s, 90% of the employees were infected with COVID-19.

“We all went through that together in a very short amount of time,” he said.

Fortunately, everyone came through, and he said all the employees have chosen to get vaccinated.

Things have improved significantly at Ciruli Bros.

“For us, we’re pretty much back to business as normal,” Ciruli said.

Employees are working in the office once again, traveling, attending conventions and other events, and trips are scheduled to visit customers in person during the first quarter of 2022.

Once the owners of Nogales-based Earth Blend LLC realized that the virus was spreading, they shut down the offices and asked the sales staff to work remotely, said Steve Spence, director of sales.

A few employees got sick, but not at the same time, he said.

The staff communicated through regular Zoom calls.

“We made it through pretty healthy,” he said.

Sasha Lewton, director of sales and marketing, said Rio Rico-based Farmer’s Best International LLC was fortunate that it had no significant COVID-19 outbreak in Mexico, despite its large workforce there.

“That was kind of miraculous,” he said.

“Our team down there did a very good job of getting ahead and putting the right protocols into place so that we didn’t have a problem.”

The same was true in the Nogales warehouse, even though dispatch teams come in contact with drivers, and inspectors pay regular visits to check out product.

“Our team on both sides of the border has done an excellent job of keeping us solid and keeping us productive,” Lewton said.

For a time, some of the office staff worked remotely and some came into the office, but by April, everyone was back at work full time, he said.

Produce House in Nogales also followed appropriate COVID-19 protocols, said Raquel Espinoza, director of sales and marketing.

Staff members alternated working at home and going into the office. Those who were onsite were situated 6 feet apart.

A couple of employees got sick, but they made a full recovery, she said.

Some people got sick at IPR Fresh in Rio Rico, but not everyone became ill at the same time, said president Jose Luis Obregon.

Half the staff came into the office while the rest worked at home, he said.

Everyone now has received the vaccine.

“Operationwise, we’re back to normal,” Obregon said.

It seems that nearly all the employees of the Nogales-area distributors have been vaccinated.

At one time, the region had the highest COVID-19 infection rate, Ciruli said.

“Now we are the leading area in Arizona for vaccinations.”

Vaccinations were not required at Calixtro Distributing, Calixtro said, “but all our employees did get vaccinated.”

Apparently, the shots worked.

“We haven’t had a case here since last February,” Calixtro said. “We’ve been doing really well.”

When a vaccine became available, workers at Produce House got their shots, Espinoza said.

“Everyone voluntarily decided they wanted to get their vaccine,” she said. “There wasn’t any pressure.”

Santa Cruz County implemented a well-organized vaccination process, she said.

“It was very easy to get it done.”