Grower Alliance enjoying a ‘pretty busy’ time
Grower Alliance enjoying a ‘pretty busy’ time
RIO RICO, AZ — Describing his upcoming shipping plans, Jorge Quintero, Jr., concluded, “We will be pretty busy.” The bear of a young man then flashed his infectious, big, warm grin.
He is very humble but deservedly happy about the ongoing success of his distribution company.
Quintero is the managing partner of Grower Alliance, LLC, based here.
“We’ve been going full blast since November,” he said in mid-January.
In the Rio Rico, AZ, conference room of his company in mid-January is Jorge Quintero, the managing partner of Grower Alliance LLC, with his father, also named Jorge Quintero, and salesman Luis Caballero.Although, “when the northern fields finished you felt the lack of product,” he added. Late-producing Sonoran fields saw low temperatures in the 30s for the week after Christmas. By early January “it was all back to normal. There is more demand.” Grower Alliance ships from Sinaloa all winter, and the firm’s allied Sinaloa growers will ship from late January and into March, when more northerly-areas enter the spring deal.
Grower Alliance’s spring Sonora honeydew deal runs from late March through June.
The firm’s watermelon deal began Feb. 10 “and is to go into the July 4 holiday.” These watermelons start in Colima, and then move to Obregon, Guaymas and Hermosillo. Mini-watermelons are shipped from early April through June.
“This year we are focused on getting a year-round program with watermelon and honeydew,” Quintero said. “So far, so good. There is a demand for watermelon in the winter.” That demand comes from retail and the fresh-cut food processors. “We are shipping two or three loads a day now. We will be shipping 20 loads a day in the spring.”
Culiacan cucumbers started in early February and then move to Obregon and Hermosillo through June.
In a greatly-expanded 2015 program, Grower Alliance will ship Obregon Romas from early April into June.
Spring squash from Hermosillo starts in late March. Green bell peppers run from January through June from Culiacan and Hermosillo. It will, indeed, be a “pretty busy” season for Grower Alliance.
The firm uses its “Grower Alliance” label on squash, cucumbers, green bell peppers, watermelons and honeydew. The Dolores label is also used on honeydew and some vegetables. The “Nafa” label is applying to European cucumbers out of Culiacan and Sinaloa.