Mexican produce business updates

Calavo tomatoes plentiful

Nogales, Ariz.-based Calavo Growers Inc. continues to offer its greenhouse-grown tomatoes in all styles of packs, including one- and two-layer packs, 25-pound cartons for round tomatoes and 25-pound cartons for roma tomatoes, said Brian Bernauer, director of tomato sales and operations.

Cold weather in December held back some fruit, which meant a slow start the first two weeks of January, he said. But by early February, conditions had improved.

“There should be plenty of fruit at really good prices and really good quality from the middle of February until the end of March,” he said Feb. 2.

Ciruli Bros. to kick off mangoes

Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Ciruli Bros. LLC hopes to kick off its 2021 mango program the week of Feb. 15, said partner Chris Ciruli.

Shipments likely will be light for the first two weeks, but supplies should ramp up quickly.

“We see very promotable volumes for March and April,” Ciruli said. “It looks to be a very good time to be lining up with fruit for March and April out of Mexico.”

Fresh Farms has large selection

Fresh Farms, Rio Rico, Ariz., has a wide selection of fresh produce from Mexico this winter, including corn, cucumbers, colored and green bell peppers, eggplant and “lots and lots of zucchini,” said salesman Al Voll.

The company transitioned to the Guaymas growing area around mid-January.

The start of that program was light because of cooler weather and rain, he said, creating a demand-exceeds-supply situation, which boosted f.o.b. prices.

“Warmer weather (in late January) brought on much heavier numbers combined with light business industrywide, causing markets to fall back considerably,” Voll said.

IPR Fresh continues pepper program

This is the second year IPR Fresh, Rio Rico, Ariz., is offering colored bell peppers year-round, said president Jose Luis Obregon.

During the summer, bell peppers are distributed mostly through McAllen, Texas, he said, but they’ll ship out of Nogales, Ariz., for West Coast customers.

The company also offers hard and soft squash, slicer and European cucumbers and has increased its yellow and white sweet corn program, he said.

MAS introduces Orange Candy melon

Rio Rico, Ariz.-based MAS Melons & Grapes LLC has begun trials of a new melon variety called Orange Candy, said salesman Mikee Suarez.

At first, the new item will be shipped to customers in Japan, but Suarez said the company hopes to make it in available in the U.S. eventually. The Orange Candy melon has an orange flesh with a golden yellow exterior, he said.

“It looks like a golden melon, but the inside looks and tastes like a cantaloupe.”

It has a high brix rating — in the 13-14 range, compared to 10 for a typical honeydew melon, he said.

Montero Farms offers pineapples

McAllen, Texas-based Montero Farms is marking its first anniversary of adding pineapples to its tropical portfolio, said president Marie Cook. They’re available year-round.

“Clients have really welcomed our product for its characteristically sweet taste,” she said.

Montero Farms offers its own Sweetie Pineapple brand.

The tropical portfolio also includes coconuts year-round and red, green and yellow prickly pears on a seasonal basis.

Oppy’s Divemex adds growing area

Mexican greenhouse producer Divemex, which provides fresh product for Vancouver, British Columbia-based The Oppenheimer Group, has increased its growing area this season to include more premium-grown organic red, yellow and orange peppers, said Aaron Quon, Oppy’s executive director for greenhouse and Canadian category development.

“All of our crops, both conventional and organic, are also Fair Trade certified, with the premiums they generate going towards supporting our farm worker communities through a variety of long-term programs that focus on education, health, housing and community development,” he said.

Oppy has generated $4.4 million in premiums since 2013 alone, Quon said.

Wholesum expanding facilities

Wholesum, Armado, Ariz., is overseeing an expansion project at its northern Mexico facility, said Joanna Jaramillo, marketing specialist.

“We are adding 12 acres of high-tech glass greenhouses at our current 50-acre facility in Sonora to bring more organic, greenhouse-grown tomatoes,” she said.

The expansion is set to finish in mid-September for harvest in November. It’s part of the company’s multi-phased growth strategy focusing on innovative technologies for optimal crop performance, Jaramillo said.

In 2019, Wholesum expanded its Arizona facility, adding 6 more acres of Ultra-Clima glass greenhouses, she said. In 2020, the company renovated its tomato facilities in Central Mexico.

“To equip ourselves for the increase in product, we are currently undergoing construction at our distribution center in Nogales, Ariz.”