In October, leading asparagus importer Farm Direct Supply is partnering with the National Breast Cancer Foundation on an asparagus retail promotion to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. 

For Miami-based Crystal Valley Foods, Peruvian asparagus is an integral part of the puzzle with its year-round availability.

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.

Dubbing itself “the world’s largest distributor of green asparagus,” Calexico, CA-based Altar Produce LLC is in the midst of a very solid year in terms of supplies.

“Production is steady and will be comparable to previous years, between 11-13 million 11-pound cases a year,” Director of Sales Denys Sam told The Produce News in early September.

Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., a Secaucus, NJ distributor, can’t keep supplies of jumbo asparagus on hand.

“In the past few years our sales of jumbo asparagus have more than doubled,” said Paul Auerbach, president of the company founded by his grandfather more than 80 years ago.  “We’ve sold more units and more dollars.”

With the peak of the Peruvian asparagus season expected to hit its stride in mid-October, the Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association is working with importers preparing for promotional opportunities.  “In today’s marketplace, asparagus trade can only prevail through forethought and strategic planning,” said PAIA Executive Director Priscilla Lleras.