Maui Fresh International addresses impact of rising freight and labor costs
With rising freight and labor costs, Maui Fresh International, a wholesaler and distributor of fruits and vegetables for local and national customers since 2004, is addressing how it is proactively responding to these industry challenges to provide buyers the best possible produce price.
“As a wholesale distributor, our primary customers — including independent retailers, local and national food distributors, hotels, restaurants, schools and cruise lines — rely on us to stay on top of industry trends to help them control costs so they can, in turn, provide their customers quality produce at the best price," said Francisco Clouthier, owner of Maui Fresh. “With over 20 years of experience, Maui Fresh has weathered multiple industry challenges and has remained nimble to provide consistent costs, services and produce.”
Maui Fresh is located in California, the largest fruit and vegetable growing state in the U.S., and also sources produce from growers in Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Mexico, Canada, Holland and Spain. Its convenient location allows it to manage freight costs as it has access to multiple ports and is within 20 minutes of Los Angeles International Airport.
To react to the changing needs of the market, Maui Fresh listens to its customers daily and meets with all sales staff weekly to gather information about customer wants and needs. This combined with forecasting has helped it anticipate and secure volume deals with growers to ensure supply and lower freight cost.
As with most industries, rising labor costs are also impacting the cost to consumer. Maui Fresh has continued to update its processes to improve efficiencies while still meeting consumer demands. Its staff members are experienced professionals offering consolidation service, custom packing solutions and direct-to-store delivery.
