Maurice A. Auerbach Inc. in Secaucus, NJ, has been importing Peruvian asparagus directly for over 20 years.

“We have a long track record in the deal,” said Paul Auerbach, president. “Prior to the Peruvian deal, we were big importers of Chilean asparagus. Then the Peruvian deal replaced all the other South American asparagus sources and we moved with the deal, but with some of the same partners. Our relationships date back a long time.”

CarbAmericas in Fort Lauderdale, FL, has been importing Peruvian asparagus since 1993, developing deep roots and strong relationships with its Peruvian grower base. This strong base is credited by Jeff Friedman, president, as helping the company face down the challenges of the year.

“Our grower base along with our hiring of new staff and focus on retail promotion continue to push us forward,” he said.

Keeping business going during difficult times revolves greatly around established relationships, and that is especially true for Harvest Sensations.

“Over the past few years, Harvest Sensations has assembled one of the strongest, most reliable, high-quality network of grower partners of Peruvian asparagus in the industry,” said Tony Pinto, director of sourcing in Miami, FL. “We treat our growers like customers and we’re developing long-term programs with them to meet our customers’ needs.”

Progressive Produce recently announced several measures to help the company meet its expanding growth, including a new label and new additional staff.

Scott Leimkuhler, senior vice president of sales, explained, “With our new cold storage facility in La Mirada that opened last year, plus the new faces we’ve added to the asparagus and citrus team, we’re excited and confident in our growth with our partners.”

Diversification and expansion shape the focus of Farm Direct Supply in Fort Lauderdale, FL, as the company looks to increase the viability of the Peruvian source.

“The demand for our value-added and commodity programs has been excellent this year, in spite of the inherent challenges COVID-19 has presented,” said Chris Horrell, FDS general manager. “It has challenged us to build deeper, more meaningful supply chain partnerships that will be the cornerstone of our future.”