Since Vanguard International expanded production and scope with the purchase of Peru’s Agricola Challapampa in 2016, the company has made investments to ensure a year-round supply from the country.
Vanguard, Issaquah, Wash., has opened a packinghouse in Ica, Peru, to maintain a cold chain for grapes, according to a Vanguard news release.
The company implemented a Total Quality Management (TQM) plan in Peru after the purchase.
“Between expanding operations in Peru, and partnering with Sun World Innovations to add their top-quality grape varieties to our growing program, it was clear that quality management of our program would be critical,” Dirk Winkelmann, business development officer for Vanguard International and president of Vanguard Direct, said in the release. “We’ve seen major advances in productivity and technologies that continue to deliver quality we can be proud of.”
The TQM team monitors quality and efficiency during the growing, harvesting, storing and dispatching, according to the release.
“Errors or inefficiencies are identified immediately and communicated through chain of command as quickly as possible,” Manuel Yzaga, president of Vanguard Peru, said in the release.
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