Internationally sourced produce bolsters supply, provides variety of flavors

Divine Flavor sources 90% to 95% of its product from Mexico, with the remainder coming from South American countries such as Chile and Peru.
Divine Flavor sources 90% to 95% of its product from Mexico, with the remainder coming from South American countries such as Chile and Peru.
(Photo courtesy of Divine Flavor)

Lots of produce sold in the U.S. comes here from beyond our shores.

Fruit and vegetables, from the common — sugar snap peas, baby carrots, melons — to the lesser known — star fruit, Buddha’s hand, pomelo, are sourced internationally, though largely that means Central and South America.

Southern Specialties of Pompano Beach, Fla., began importing produce from Guatemala 32 years ago, and it now imports from other Central and South American countries, as well as Canada. Working with different countries allows the company to offer produce year-round, said Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development. 

“We look for growing conditions that are perfect for certain products. Guatemala has different elevations and growing conditions, so you can move around the country,” he said. “Same in Peru and Mexico, where we grow in multiple regions.” 

The company recently added the area of Jalisco, Mexico, to plug any gaps in the growing cycle, he adds.

Divine Flavor in Nogales, Ariz., sources 90% to 95% of its product from Mexico, with the remainder coming from South American countries such as Chile and Peru. The company sells more grapes than anything else, in more than 20 varieties, but it also does good business in bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and zucchini.

There are vertical rows of green plans in a brown dirt field. There are mountains in the background against a blue sky.
Southern Specialties began importing produce from Guatemala 32 years ago, and it now im-ports from other Central and South American countries, as well as Canada. Working with different countries allows the company to offer produce year-round, said Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development. (Photo courtesy of Southern Specialties)

Miami-based Crystal Valley Foods sources produce from Central and South America. Asparagus comes from both Peru and Mexico. 

“Peru is a key growing region because it has a variety of climates ideal for growing,” said Katiana Valdes, marketing director. “It can be grown in the north and south, and the two regions peak at different times. This allows us to import asparagus 52 weeks a year from Peru.”

The company is also a top importer from Guatemala, whose peak season mirrors Mexico’s for many items, allowing for continuous production.

Martha Montoya established Agtools in 2018 in Orange County, Calif., to provide data to people in the produce industry, from shippers to farmers to analysts, traders, CEOs and chief financial officers. She anticipates that Central America and Colombia are going to be a huge source of international produce going forward because of workers’ strong ethics and the philosophy of farming. 

With the White House pushing for food insecurity solutions, she adds, “It’s deploying heavily in Central America, making multibillion dollar investments.” On top of that, those regions have great growing areas, she said.

Central America and Colombia also produce a huge variety of produce, she said, often from very small farms. 

“Mexico will still be there, but overall [produce] consumption is up, so that’s why we need Central America,” she said, adding that efficiencies in Central America need to increase too. 

Related News: Berry People expands Mexico footprint, opening second office in Guadalajara

Product mix

Southern Specialties’ biggest product is asparagus. Other popular items include Brussels sprouts, baby broccoli, papaya and avocados.

The company provides produce to white tablecloth restaurants in cities along the Atlantic Ocean, west to Texas and up to Minnesota and Canada. It also provides produce to retailers, club stores, foodservice distributors and wholesalers.

The products give restaurants a point of differentiation. The company peels baby carrots by hand, leaving half an inch of green top intact, and they are available in orange or a rainbow pack of four colors, which allows restaurants to nicely present dishes.

Divine Flavor focuses mostly on commodities, “and we have a lot of knowledge and experience in the land, the soil, the biodiversity of growing those products,” said Michael DuPuis, quality assurance and public relations coordinator. “We consider ourselves pioneers in Mexico when it comes to producing candy-like varieties of grapes and having the ability to work with great breeders all over the world for fan-favorite types like Jellyberries and Cotton Candy and also newer ones like Autumncrisp and Sweet Globe.”

More than 50% of Divine Flavor’s product range is organic, and products that are not organic, have often been grown using organic processes, DuPuis said. The company wants to be responsible. 

“As a farmer, you can produce in a way that’s commercially viable and you can do it in a way that’s beneficial to your land, your workforce,” he said. A lot of this is consumer-driven, he added, “and people are very conscientious about what they’re buying. Our DNA is growing organically, growing responsibility.”

In the foreground, a table running diagonally to the top right has baskets of grapefruit, mandarins, lemons and apples on top, with signs featuring a description and a QR code behind each one. In the background are four checkout lanes with no one in them. There are also large signs with advertisements for the company's social media.
In addition to its focus on social media, Specialty Produce provides signs with QR codes at its warehouse to direct customers to the company’s website for more information. (Photo courtesy of Specialty Produce)

Most produce imported by San Diego-based Specialty Produce comes from Mexico, which the company then sells to 1,000 restaurants stretching up to Los Angeles. Almost all (95%) of the produce is sold this way, and the remaining 5% is sold directly to consumers through the company’s warehouse in San Diego. 

“We try to make fruit and vegetables entertaining,” said President Bob Harrington.

He sells a variety of produce from the warehouse, from navel chocolate oranges to Sharon fruit, and he trains staff to educate consumers about how to prepare and cook food and give background on the produce. 

“We’re a destination and entertainment,” Harrington said.

He even has a social media spot in the warehouse for selfies, and the company is active on social media with thousands of followers. There’s also a mountain of information — from trends to articles — on Specialty Produce’s website. 

For customers at the warehouse who want more information, each produce sign has a QR code that takes them to the company website. 

Value-added extras

Southern Specialties offers its own value-added products under the brand Southern Selects and does good business in private-label packaging for other companies. This includes items such as an 8-ounce package of French beans that can be put as-is into a microwave, to larger 2-pound bags.

Value-added products continue to grow, Eagle said. The packaging displays the product well, he said, typically with a picture of the food as it would be seen in a recipe, with nutritional information, links to recipes, and more on the packaging.

“We create an extra layer of information that helps the consumer understand the product and offers different ways to prepare it,” he said.

Divine Flavor offers a retail-ready program, with presentations shipped “ready to be sold in retail the moment it’s brought in,” DuPuis said. “Our marketing team has made sure the product is marketed and sold the way it’s supposed to.” 

On the shipping boxes, the company provides QR codes so consumers can get more details from the company’s website. 

“It’s important to educate them on that and that you’re being respectful to the land and the people and growing organics,” DuPuis said.

Related news: Overcoming Chilean produce obstacles

Challenging times

For Southern Specialties, transportation has become a huge challenge in recent years amid rising fuel costs and labor shortages. Input costs have also gone up significantly, Eagle said — everything from fertilizers to plastic film and corrugated materials.

“Mother Nature has also played a large role recently with hurricanes, freezes and flooding all affecting crops and leading to lower supplies and higher costs,” he said.

However, the company has made investments in cold chain maintenance over the past year, as well as food safety efforts. 

“So, from a food safety standpoint, we’re on par with, or better than, any of the farms and distribution facilities in the U.S.,” Eagle said.

For Divine Flavor, the high turnover rates in agriculture are a significant problem, especially as workers can constantly find new opportunities using their phones. 

“You need to understand their wants and needs and the opportunity to grow in a company,” DuPuis said. “Sometimes the driver isn’t money but to be able to get back to their home communities.”

 

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