Winter vegetable program strong for Divine Flavor
Nogales, Ariz.-based Divine Flavor LLC has strong winter production of colored bell peppers, mini peppers, tomatoes (grape, roma and beefsteak), cucumbers (Persian, Euro and slicer) and squash/zucchini, says Michael DuPuis, public relations manager.
“As opportunities from central Mexico have flourished for our company in recent years, this has given our company to remain steady in year-round production and close the gaps between transitional periods of the year,” DuPuis said. “This has greatly contributed to our year-round programs. Being able to have steady volume as you transition from [one] area of Mexico to the next can be challenging, but through strategic planning and expansion with our items in central Mexico, this allows us to fill in the gaps.”
Over the past five years, DuPuis said snacking items have become hot.
“This includes many of the tomato varieties, but also some peppers (sweet mini) and also some cucumbers (Persian),” he said. “We believe this has a lot to do with the consumer and their lifestyles, but it also has to do with convenience — being able to grab and go with your favorite produce item.”
Flavor and nutrition have never been more important, he said.
“A big reason we introduced our Product Heroes campaign earlier last year was to associate the health benefits to our customers, easily identifying key health facts about the produce through QR codes on the packaging,” DuPuis said. “Our first Product Hero we introduced was bell peppers, which are extremely high in vitamin C, and we wanted to relay this information to our customers [and retailers] through a fun and creative way.”
Flavor is a big part of what makes up Divine Flavor offerings, he said. “We want to create experiences for our consumers and create repeat purchases.”
In the next few months, DuPuis said Divine Flavor will be focused on giving both consumers and retailers an inside look at where their produce comes from.
“Divine Flavor is part of an exclusive group of our own farms, but also a variety of first-class growers throughout Mexico,” he said. “It's important to be transparent with all our communities and shine the light on all the hard work that comes from working in agriculture.”
DuPuis said Divine Flavor has years of experience, passion, dedication, teamwork and coordination to provide market needs.
“It's important for us to produce in a manner which is both sustainable for the farms but also the markets — never overproducing, but also being a reliable source of produce for customers across the country,” he said.
Divine Flavor produces all of its commodities with both conventional and organic methods, DuPuis said.
“Growing organic is part of our company DNA,” he said. “It started with our first farms in Grupo Alta 30 years ago where we were one of the first growers in all of Mexico to be organically certified, and this tradition has carried on through the years with our other farms and partner growers who exclusively grow for Divine Flavor. The goal is always to grow more organic. It's a growing area of produce, and we recognize this.”
