Importers of Mexican produce emphasize sustainability
Sustainability, a top-of-mind topic for U.S. growers, shippers and retailers, is a priority south of the border as well.
“Sustainability is something growers have been very focused on for a long time,” said Chris Ciruli, partner at Ciruli Bros. LLC, a Rio Rico, Ariz.-based shipper and importer of Mexican produce. “When you go into the second or third generation, they have to make their assets and their property last.”
Sustainability also is paramount at Rio Rico-based IPR Fresh, said company President Jose Luis Obregon.
“That’s where the industry is going, in the growing areas as well,” he said.
The company’s growers put a lot of effort into taking care of the environment by adopting practices like drip irrigation and high-tech watering mechanisms that don’t waste water, he said. “And we try to recycle as much as possible.”
The company and its growers are fair trade certified as well, he added.
Rio Rico-based MAS Melons & Grapes LLC does everything it can to be sustainable, said salesman Mikee Suarez.
“Our company itself, as a whole, kind of runs sustainably,” he said. “If our customers ask us to be more sustainable on packaging or something, it’s always something we’re willing to talk to them about and work together to get them what they need.”
Rich River Produce LLC in Rio Rico recently hired someone to focus on sustainability: sales manager Edgar Duarte’s daughter, Andrea, who also works on sales and marketing.
Most of the company’s sustainability efforts involve packaging and encouraging customers to use recyclable materials, to recycle cardboard boxes and plastic and to stay away from plastics that are not recyclable, he said.
Rich River recycles cardboard bins that its processing customers use and ships plastics to another facility for recycling, Duarte said.
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Divine Flavor LLC, Nogales, Ariz., has introduced a number of programs to make sure the company operates sustainably, said Michael Dupuis, public relations manager.
“Each of our farms is implementing basic practices to ensure that we’re minimizing our impact on the soil; that’s why we grow mostly organic,” he said.
Growers use the latest drip irrigation techniques, and the company uses packaging that is certified compostable, biodegradable or at least recyclable.
“At Divine Flavor, we work with the best retailers in North America,” DuPuis said, and many of those retailers are starting to ask questions about sustainability and carbon emissions.
Sometimes it’s a challenge, he said, but Divine Flavor “makes sure that we’re collecting data and information that’s easily translatable to what our customers are requiring.”
While some see packaging itself in conflict with the principles of sustainability, others insist on packaged produce, Ciruli said.
“During the pandemic, we saw a real push for packaged goods, and we’re still selling a lot of packaged goods,” he said. “It’s kind of a mix — people want sustainability, but also a lot of them want packaged goods that haven’t been touched. You’re trying to get with buyer preference.”
Sustainability goes beyond things like recycling and taking care of the land and the water, Obregon said.
“There are a wide variety of issues,” he said, including taking care of workers and their families, creating a safe environment where they live and work, and making housing, schools and medical services readily available at the workplace.
Fair trade certification encompasses all of that, he said.
