Ana Ramos, licensed customs broker and partner with her husband Frank Ramos, owners of The Perishable Specialist Inc. in Miami, FL, said that projecting increases or decreases in berry imports every year is a subjective question.

“We have spoken to several customers regarding the upcoming season, and the main topic has been on the increase in the number of foreign berry growers,” said Ms. Ramos. “That translates into an anticipated larger amount of berries to be cleared in the coming season.”

She added that Argentina, Chile, Guatemala and Uruguay are the largest berry producing countries, and that which one produces the most is defined by the berry category.

Ana Ramos and her husband Frank Ramos, owners of Miami, FL-based The Perishable Specialist Inc., at Ms. Ramos’ 40th birthday celebration. “Blackberries are dominated by Guatemala, for example,” she explained, “while blueberries and raspberries are dominated by Chile. However, when it comes to blueberries, Argentina and Uruguay are always the ones that ‘get the party started.’ There is absolutely nothing that can describe the butterflies we get in our stomachs when that first Argentinean blueberry air waybill arrives in our email inbox. It’s like falling in love again every season, and we at The Perishable Specialist just love that moment.”

Import run times for the individual berry categories have been consistent for over the past 20 years. Ms. Ramos said that any variation is never more than a week or two at the start, and two to three weeks at the tail end.

The destination of berries imported to the United States is also pretty consistent.

“The bulk of the berries in past seasons have gone to Miami, Philadelphia and to the West Coast,” she said. “Because Miami has amazing international air traffic, we see a huge percentage of air-flown berries arrive here in our home port. Ocean containers will trend between Miami, Philadelphia and the West Coast.”

Regulations related to imports, however, are never consistent. This season, all foreign exporters need to know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Drug Administration regulations now require that all bioterrorism registrations be re-registered beginning Oct. 1, with a deadline of Dec. 31, 2012, and every even year thereafter.

“Any registration that is not re-registered and/or renewed will be canceled and/or voided by the FDA,” said Ms. Ramos. “In mid-August, we send out a notification to our contacts to help spread the word of this regulation change, and we invite anyone who would like more information to contact us.”

The Perishable Specialists, she added, has been fortunate to remain steadfast in its business over the years, and it enjoys continual slight increases in its numbers each season.

“These increases in our business have allowed us to increase the size of our staff,” said Ms. Ramos. “In a challenging economic climate, we consider this as meaning that we are having a successful year.”

Ms. Ramos said that the company looks forward to attending the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit on Oct. 26-28 in Anaheim, CA. “This event gives us an opportunity to spend some time with our customers and hear about all their exciting plans for the upcoming season,” she said.

As an aside, she noted that she recently turned 40, and that her husband and partner, Frank, hosted a celebration in her honor.