Bernardi: It’s going to be an active spring
Bernardi: It’s going to be an active spring
The latest hurricane season has all but faded to a memory for Joe Bernardi, president of Bernardi & Associates in Nogales, AZ, who is anticipating a good spring deal.
“People are excited to be out and about,” he told The Produce News in early February. “It’s going to be an active spring.” Traditional wisdom, he pointed out, holds that producers who make it to February without any significant impacts to crops from weather will be in good shape.
Bernardi & Associates is a full-service brokerage company. In addition to its Nogales headquarters, the company maintains offices in San Diego and Turlock, CA, McAllen, TX and Ft. Myers, FL. “That gives us on-the-ground and sourcing ability throughout the year,” he commented. Customers, he went on to say, benefit from this daily attention to the smallest detail.
Bernardi said tomatoes, Romas, bell peppers and cucumbers comprise the biggest share of the company’s business. As a part of its overall offerings, other items such as chili peppers, melons and squash are also marketed.
The Nogales deal typically begins in mid- to late December, with volume increasing by mid-January. “We have had really good growing conditions and quality product,” Bernardi said about prospects for the 2015 spring deal. “There’s more product coming through Nogales.”
Focusing on sales to foodservice, wholesalers and repackers, Bernardi & Associates moves produce throughout the United States. Some limited volume is also marketed into Canada. While the majority of product marketed by the company is conventional, Bernardi said, “We’re moving more and more organics.”
Bernardi provided some insights about tomato pricing, saying depressed pricing has stagnated the market. “I think that it’s hurt the market,” he said, adding that he doesn’t anticipate a change at the current time.
