It will be 10 years in April since colleagues Patricia Compres and Maria Bermudez used their experience clearing agricultural products through customs to launch Advance Customs Brokers & Consulting LLC with its office in Miami.

Today the company still operates out of Miam but clears freight throughout the country.

“We’re continuing to grow every year,” said Bermudez.

“In the past year we have grown 10-12 percent,” said Compres, noting the company’s business has more than doubled since they started.

Paul Auerbach, president of Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., in Secaucus, NJ, admits that being in the produce business isn’t easy. He is constantly being thrown curveballs that cause problems and call for adjustment. Nonetheless, his company continues to grow and continues to thrive.

“We have to manage these issues just like everyone else,” he said. “I like to think that the key to our success is that we disappoint less than others.”

Though Peruvian asparagus importer Crystal Valley Foods expects a decline in volume this year, the company’s marketing director, Katiana Valdez, said supplies will be sufficient for holiday promotions.

In years gone by, U.S. importers of Peruvian asparagus would often compete, touting the freshness of their product because they brought the product into the United States via air rather than ocean.  That is rarely the case today as ocean shipments dominate the space.

“Ten years ago, 10 percent of the volume was shipped by ocean and 90 percent by air,” said Walter Yager, president of Alpine Fresh. “This year, I expect 80 percent by ocean and 20 percent by air.”

Lidl and Avocados from Peru hosted a celebration Sept. 12 at the supermarket’s Merrifield, VA, location to present the keys of the AVO Tesla to Dr. José Jerónimo, a Maryland cancer specialist and the winner of the 2022 Summer Sweepstakes. Lidl also awarded Jerónimo a $500 gift card to use at any of its supermarket locations.

One of the most exciting sweepstakes to ever hit the retail industry ended Aug. 31 as Lidl and Avocados from Peru officially closed submissions for the 2022 AVO Tesla Summer Sweepstakes.