GRAPEVINE, TX – At 8 a.m. on March 26, a remarkable event occurred within the framework of the Viva Fresh Expo.  The expo was hours away from its launch, except that golfers were undoubtedly getting psyched for a perfect tournament day to kick off the expo.  While not on the official docket, this meeting was very much within Viva Fresh’s spirit and objective.

Tommy Wilkins, director of sales and business development for Grow Farms Texas LLC, based in Donna, and John Nakaoka, a business consultant, coordinated a summit of progressive thinkers to sit and talk for a couple of hours.

In the produce industry, Nakaoka is most associated with his fine work for Mr. Lucky in Irapuato, Guanajuato.  Neither Nakaoka’s life nor career come with clear boundaries, but wherever he may be, he is working to boost good, honest, successful trade.  He works regularly with Mexico’s State of Guanajuato to build export trade — and that’s the role that brought him to coordinate with Wilkins on March 26.

Nakaoka led Mauricio Usabiaga, Guanajuato’s secretary of economic development, and six staff to Viva Fresh. 

With Wilkins were Michael Wise, president of The Horton Fruit Co. Inc. in Louisville, KY, and Chad Allred, vice president of sales and marketing for Kingsburg Orchards, one of the nation’s largest stone fruit grower-shippers.  Allred’s company is headquartered amid California’s fruit basket, Kingsburg.  Horton Fruit is a major distributor in the eastern U.S., representing many of the growing interests owned by the Ciruli family in Nogales.

Thus, those interested in developing trade in and for Guanajuato had a golden opportunity to pull on the experiences of highly experienced and informed North American produce professionals.  Meanwhile, those professionals asked about business opportunities with Guanajuato.

Usabiaga said his two key development focuses are to “program direct investments” into Guanajuato and to build exports. Usabiaga emphasized that he was acting upon direction for Guanajuato Governor Diego Sinué to invite foreign trade with the state.

Wilkins, who was the head produce buyer for United Supermarkets before joining Grow Farms Texas, expressed his business philosophy as it relates to North American produce trade: “Everyone needs to take care of their own, but our own can’t feed America.”

Wilkins, Wise and Allred described the retail scene of the United States.  While toilet paper and canned good sales are leaving stores via services such as Amazon, Americans still prefer to smell, see and touch fresh fruits and vegetables.  Thus, while supermarkets’ center of store may be shrinking, produce departments are holding their own, or expanding — while often moving to the front of the store to accentuate the reason consumers choose to shop at those stores.

Wilkins noted that American grocery delis' fresh, ready-to-eat meals give retailers a subtle opportunity to introduce lesser-known produce items like butternut squash and broccolini to consumers. 

Allred said the chance to take advantage of Guanajuato’s growing conditions to produce stone fruit in February, March and April “would be a tremendous opportunity to growers.”

Usabiaga and his cohorts noted that their state's trade opportunities between Mexico, the United States and Canada.  He added that the state has increased its exports from $300 million to $24 billion in the last 25 years.  Driving that growth has been COFOCE, the state’s business development marketing agency, which brought more than 500 businesses to Guanajuato in these 25 years. 

Guanajuato state has the sixth largest GDP in Mexico, but represents only 1.6 percent of Mexico’s land mass; it is known as the “California of Mexico” in terms of agricultural productivity.  Beyond its rich soils and ambitious, educated workforce, Guanajuato has many microclimates which are ideal for vegetable production from September to May.

Luis Rojas, who heads COFOCE, said Guanajuato’s ag exporters have risen 10 percent per year for the last decade.  All 46 municipalities within the state are active in agribusiness.

The mighty state exports automobile, food, footwear, leather, fashion and beverage products to 70 countries.

This aggressive, forward-thinking group of businessmen agreed their discussion has little value without action. Next steps to learn more from one another are under way.

Photo at top: Justin Dixon of Kingsburg Orchards, Tommy Wilkins of Grow Farms Texas, Mauricio Usabiaga, Guanajuato’s secretary of economic development, Chad Allred of Kingsburg Orchards, Michael Wise of The Horton Fruit Co. and Luis Rojas of COFOCE.