Wholesum, Fair Trade Certified growers and shippers of organic fresh produce is proud to announce the completion of a major expansion at its distribution center in Nogales, AZ. “As the demand for responsibly grown organic produce continues to grow, it is important for us to increase storage capacity and bring new efficiencies to the company’s distribution capabilities,” said Ricardo Crisantes, Chief Commercial Officer.

Wider COVID-19 vaccine distribution should be well-timed with the oncoming Mexican spring vegetable deal, in the view of Ryan Jacobsen, sales manager of Coast Produce Co. Inc., in Nogales.

In late January, the Mariposa Land Port of Entry in Nogales, AZ, hit a record of 1,900 trucks arriving from Mexico.

Allison Moore, vice president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, said crossing numbers have recently risen into the 1,700- and 1,800-truck range, but the 1,900-truck level was a new high. While most of these trucks pulled trailers of produce, the numbers also involved an unknown number of manufactured goods and empties.

In February and into the spring Mexican vegetable season, “basically, we anticipate steady promotable volumes, with good quality,” said Brian Miller, director of business development for Prime Time Sales, LLC.

This ideal situation “should run all the way into April on our hothouse colored peppers, our elongated red Bells and our green Bells. We will be in this position from February, forward. We expect good promotional opportunities all the way through.”

“I am, over the next couple of months, optimistic” about the Mexican tomato deal, Joe Bernardi indicated in late January.

“For us at Agri-Packing, this year so far has certainly evolved with many challenges,” indicated Jorge Ruiz, salesperson for Agri-Packing Supply Inc. Agri-Packing is a major supplier of a wide range of supply products for Mexican produce grower-packers.