“Sinaloa has always been a key region of Mexico for producing colored Bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers,” Urtusuastegui continued. “Right now, we need to focus on being productive and do what we do best, which is to grow exceptional quality Bell peppers for Divine Flavor and its customers and get back to the reputation this state is known for.”
Carlos Arellano, director of Viva Orgánica, Divine Flavor’s organic tomato and cucumber producer in Culiacan, explained that the season is also going well for them and production and volume is good. He said Sinaloa is important for their company because it’s a time of the year where Mexican produce is most needed and it aligns well with the commercial strategy of Viva Orgánica and Divine Flavor.
“Sinaloa is a strategic state for its vegetable programs due to its extended production season, which connects with other important growing regions in Mexico, but also due to supplying the market during the cooler months for the U.S. and Canada,” said Arellano.
“We grow product in Sinaloa because it is a prominent area to produce fruits and vegetables, and for our commercial partner, Divine Flavor, they require reliable growers who can fulfill their production needs at this time of the year,” added Arellano. “Over the last several decades, Sinaloa has proven to be very successful, and this has given Viva Orgánica and other Divine Flavor grower partners the ability to expand to other areas to help complement the West Mexico season. We established our greenhouses in Baja to better help transition our year-round offerings to bridge production gaps between when Sinaloa starts and finishes.”
Speaking about the recent news surrounding possible U.S. tariff increases, Arellano concluded by mentioning Viva Orgánica is not worried about these current issues and their priorities are set more on the growing aspects of their operation and commercial relationships.
“Regarding the talks of increased tariffs, it’s important for producers to not get caught up in the moment, but rather to work with its business partners to provide solutions and adapt to the everchanging landscape of our industry,” he said. “Change will always be part of this business, and it is very important to adopt and keep focusing on what is in our control. As we are a key partner grower to Divine Flavor and due to our integrated relationship, we are prepared for most challenges thrown our way.”
Bon mentioned that sometimes these matters (such as increased tariffs) are out of the producers’ hands, and he reiterated that it is important for growers to be cost efficient and watch spending.
“Let’s hope tariffs don’t increase because ultimately this will make things more expensive for everyone in the supply chain,” said Bon. “This will obviously be a disadvantage for the growers because these additional costs would force us to sell at a more expensive price, ultimately causing disruptions in demand due to costs rising for the customer. We’re optimistic these proposals won’t happen, and we can continue business as usual.”
Whether increased tariffs go through or not, Divine Flavor, alongside its grower alliances in Sinaloa/Sonora, prepare for a much more consistent and productive season.
The company is already shipping majority of its popular veg items and as the early days of spring approach, Divine Flavor expects to pick up in production and increase volume starting from early-March through May, when the distributor normally transitions to Baja and Central Mexico.
Top photo: Carlos Bon and Clarisa Batiz of Divine Flavor with Ernesto Urtusuastegui of Hortifresh Greenhouses, which is Divine Flavor’s main grower for Bell peppers and mini peppers out of Culiacan.
