Southern Specialties also has the distinction of being, what Solf calls, “the largest importer of white asparagus to the USA and we will have volumes available for promotions in Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
However, he did note that white asparagus has not reached the popularity in the United States that it enjoys in Europe.
The company offers its asparagus in custom retail packs to fit the needs of its retail partners. “We have also seen in increase in interest for own brand product from retailers,” Solf added.
Because of the fumigation requirement for Peruvian asparagus entering the U.S. market, Peru can only send organic asparagus to Canada, Europe and Asia. Solf, who is co-chair of the Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association this season, indicated that there could be movement on this issue. “We hope that we will see some approvals at some point next year,” he said.
Solf also commented on the challenging asparagus supply situation that Peru has faced for the past year. “The first part of the Peruvian production year had less volume than 2023,” he said. “Peru was still suffering from an El Nino year at the beginning of the year. Weather is changing; we hope to see the volume increase starting in October with promotable quantities in the middle of the month.”
He added that the lack of supplies has resulted in higher FOBs limiting promotional opportunities. “Higher costs have limited Peruvian asparagus promotions,” he said. “While we have had ample volumes to service all markets, there has been fewer opportunities for large promotions. We expect promotable volumes for the coming Thanksgiving holiday.”
Commenting on transportation issues, Solf is hopeful that there will not be any issues. “So far we are not expecting supply chain issues,” he said. “In the past years, around Christmas there have been some political issues in Peru but so far everything looks promising. The industry imports approximately 65-70 percent of Peruvian asparagus volume by boat. Over the years Southern Specialties has invested quite a bit in our cold chain management enabling us to optimize the quality of the asparagus we bring to market.”
