IPR Fresh’s Obregon comments on industry progress
IPR Fresh’s Obregon comments on industry progress
RIO RICO, AZ — Good communication between growers and distributors, atop stable markets for consumers, are good for business, in the view of Jose Luis Obregon, president of IPR Fresh, which is based here.
Obregon said Mexican grower communications with Nogales-area distributors such as IPR have improved. “If people are informed, they are planning better.”
Generally, he said, “The market is very informed. There are more sources of information now.”
This spring he expects the markets to be stable.
“Stability helps movement and does not discourage customers,” he said. “Product moves through the system and consumers are buying at established prices. There is a good, clean inventory.”
Furthermore, it helps that “U.S. consumers are eating fruits and vegetables,” he continued. “Market information is very important. We try to transmit as much information as we can to our customers. Overall, it’s good.”
Obregon said Mexican produce exports to the United States have seen “a tremendous increase in the last 15 or 20 years.” That’s attributable to market demand.
He said increased frequency of fresh produce upon foodservice menus have exposed consumers to new serving ideas, which have been assimilated in homes via retail purchases.
Over three months last summer, IPR expanded its business with a successful first-time experiment of consolidating in, and shipping through, McAllen, TX. IPR will return to McAllen — with more staff — later this year.
In the winter and spring, though, “everything we need comes through Nogales,” he added.
Bell peppers are IPR’s only Mexican item that the firm directly imports.
IPR has always been in the consolidation business “and we continue to be a one-stop shop for all commodities coming through Nogales.”
Obregon said Mexican volume would be high in Nogales until the end of May.
“Having tomatoes in town helps the mixer business by moving buying patterns to our side of the country,” he said.
Obregon noted that Eddie Monge joined his staff as a sales coordinator on Nov. 1.