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CarbAmericas adds asparagus volume and sales help

By
Tim Linden

Backed by its more than 30 years of experience importing asparagus from Peru into the U.S. market, CarbAmericas is expecting its volume to increase this year and has added a seasoned asparagus sales professional to keep the ball rolling.

Anthony Leombruno, who has been involved in the deal for many years, joined the CarbAmerica sales team earlier this year as a sales executive.

Walter Hoffman, who also sits on the sales desk for the company, told The Produce News that Peru is a major part of the company’s asparagus program. “We have long-standing strong relationships with our grower base as well as our retail clients who support our programs” he said, reiterating that the company’s volume will increase over last year’s total.

However, he did note that the timing is a bit different than a year ago. “We are expecting a slightly later start to promotable volume,” he said. “We are expecting late September to have promotable volume thru October, November and into December.”

Hoffman reported that the cooler winter weather is lingering a little longer than usual in southern Peru. “Normally the temperatures have increased and asparagus in the south has started,” he said during the first week of September. “Temperatures in the south are just starting to increase pushing any volume back a little, while the north is winding down; we are seeing lighter than normal volume for the next week or two.”

CarbAmericas focuses its attention on the green asparagus category for its retail customers. “Our mix won’t change much if at all this season,” he said, adding that retailers typically only look for white asparagus during the holiday season for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

In discussing consumer and hence retailer preference on asparagus SKUs, Hoffman said the importer is moving more packaged asparagus, whether it be a 12-ounce organic pack, a one-pound presentation for conventional asparagus or the larger club packs. “I believe some of this demand is found in the food-safety aspect and some is a value proposition with a larger pack at a better per pound price,” he reasoned.

He said retailers have been promoting Peruvian asparagus this year when they can. “Our fall season in the Northen Hemisphere is the perfect time to promote as this is the Southern Hemisphere’s spring season with peak volume and quality from Peru,” Hoffman said adding that CarbAmericas would like to see retailers promote asparagus twice a month from late September through December.

Like others in the industry, CarbAmericas has seen an increase in its shipments from Peru that come to the United State via ocean versus air. “Technology has gotten better regarding ocean shipments,” Hoffman said.  “Asparagus is arriving in better condition than years ago, passing savings to the customer as air shipments have become more expensive and unreliable. Freight costs via air are higher, and delays with flights have always put a kink in the timely shipping to meet the customer’s delivery window.  At least with the ocean program planning is easier.”

He added that there are more shipping lines this year for the grower-shippers to use for the U.S.-bound voyage. “There shouldn’t be any supply chain issues other than the congestion in the Panama Canal, which has caused delays from time to time,” he concluded.

Tim Linden

Tim Linden

About Tim Linden  |  email

Tim Linden grew up in a produce family as both his father and grandfather spent their business careers on the wholesale terminal markets in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Tim graduated from San Diego State University in 1974 with a degree in journalism. Shortly thereafter he began his career at The Packer where he stayed for eight years, leaving in 1983 to join Western Growers as editor of its monthly magazine. In 1986, Tim launched Champ Publishing as an agricultural publishing specialty company.

Today he is a contract publisher for several trade associations and writes extensively on all aspects of the produce business. He began writing for The Produce News in 1997, and currently wears the title of Editor at Large.

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