For 2024-2025, Carlos Solf of Southern Specialties will serve as East Coast chair and Craig Rolandelli of Jacobs Malcolm & Burtt will be the West Coast chair.
A diversified sourcing strategy has helped brokers like Mission Produce sail through a soft Peruvian season for commodities such as avocados, onions and asparagus.
This year the asparagus trade organization created opportunities to connect with consumers through digital, in-store and collaborative marketing campaigns.
The forecast and anticipated arrivals into the U.S. will continue to be lower than expected for the next two to three months, according to the Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association.
American Cookware and the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board are launching “Cooking the American Dream”, a social campaign that celebrates American-crafted cookware with Michigan asparagus.
The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board is celebrating what makes asparagus from the Great Lake State so special in a video series that highlights growers and the culinary attributes of the summer vegetable.
Fueled by rising imports, retail per capita availability for fresh asparagus has grown in recent years, from 1.26 pounds in 2011 to 1.60 pounds in 2019.
Established in June 1978, the Michigan Asparagus Industry Development Program was designed to improve the economic position of Michigan asparagus growers by supporting research and market development efforts.
Mexico asparagus programs for the months of January to March will take a substantial hit due to prolonged cold weather during the growing season, a Mexican grower group reports.
Miami, Fla.-based Crystal Valley Foods is introducing new foodservice vegetable packs at the International Fresh Produce Association’s July 28-29 Foodservice Conference.
Mexican asparagus exporters in Caborca, Sonora, say harsh weather in January and February has resulted in substantially lower-than-expected yields so far this season.
Moving fresh asparagus from Peru to the U.S. is increasingly costly and challenging, and shipping the vegetable from importers’ warehouses to customers’ distribution centers in the U.S. isn’t a piece of cake.
Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Southern Specialties has handled Peruvian asparagus since 2001 and has year-round supply to offer customers, said Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development.
By volume, U.S. imports of Peruvian asparagus in 2020 totaled 93,652 metric tons, up 2.6% compared with 91,266 metric tons in 2019 and up 7% from 2010.
Consumers have been eagerly awaiting the 2021 crop of Michigan asparagus and will now be rewarded with the seasonal favorite now at their local stores.
With a TikTok video that garnered more than 2.4 million views, 460,000 likes and 30,000 comments in two days, Shay Myers aired his frustrations with farm labor shortages and the H-2A guest worker program.
The Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association encourages retailers to promote Peruvian asparagus throughout December 2020 and into the New Years’ holiday.
Ayco Farms, Pompano Beach, Fla., has seen a “substantial increase” in demand for bagged asparagus from retail customers who are acting on changes in consumer preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More consumers are putting asparagus in their carts. The vegetable was the No. 2 item that shoppers said they tried in the past year that they hadn’t eaten previously.
U.S. imports of Peruvian asparagus arrive year-round, but peak supplies are expected beginning in September and continuing through the balance of the year.
Robinson Fresh has added five new Peruvian growers this year, said Alan Guttmann, general manager of global vegetable sourcing for the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based company.
After 164 migrant workers at an Ontario asparagus farm tested positive for COVID-19 about halfway through harvest season, farm leaders worked with the local health department to contain the spread.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning on buying $470 million in surplus food, including $105 million worth of produce, as growers cope with disrupted supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From fresh produce being plowed under to unharvested crops sitting untouched in fields, fruit and vegetable growers are the latest agriculture sector facing fallout from COVID-19.