Import programs at Customized Brokers steady
Import programs at Customized Brokers steady
“We’re currently seeing asparagus, melons, grapes, blueberries and cucumbers being imported from several Latin American countries,” said Nelly Yunta, vice president of Customized Brokers, headquartered in Miami. “These are mostly originating from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Honduras, Guatemala and Costa Rica.” We’ll see these produce items run from about October through April.”
Customized Brokers is the customs brokerage and consulting division for Crowley Maritime Corp. in Jacksonville, FL. Crowley Maritime is a diversified company that does about $1.5 billion in annual revenues in shipping, logistics and projection solutions. Customized Brokers is a customs clearance broker. It clears customs for importers and it specializes in fresh produce. Besides clearing shipments through government agencies, it also handles logistics for some of its customers by coordinating with Crowley.
Yunta explained that at this early import time [Nov. 19], import programs and movements were what the company anticipated.
“We are thankful that the import programs are what we expected,” she said. “Production is good and expectations are high. Everything’s working according to plan.
“And luckily we haven’t experienced any delays,” she continued. “So far the weather has been great and production is strong.
Customized Brokers services the entire U.S. and some parts of Canada with products in transit, and it clears produce from every port in the U.S. and elsewhere.
“At Customized Brokers, we’re always looking for additional services that will benefit our customers,” said Yunta. “It’s particularly important to reach out to other countries so that we can help them understand what the import requirements are in the U.S. In fact, I just conducted a seminar in Argentina for organic apple and pear growers.”