Tropical fruits and vegetables have been a growth phenomenon in produce aisles and on foodservice menus for the past several years. Eric R. Crawford, president of Fresh Results LLC, headquartered in Sunrise, FL, believes the trend will continue into the future.

“The increasing knowledge among consumers of the health benefits of tropical produce items is in large part a driver of this trend,” said Mr. Crawford. “Papayas, for example, have an enzyme that has been found to actually cure cancer cells instead of irradiating them as conventional medical cancer treatments normally do. The irradiation process is bad because it kills good cells as well as bad.

“But the increasing demand for our company’s papayas is also due to the flavor and appearance of the new varieties that we are developing,” he said.

‘Fresh Results’ blueberry clamshell.Fresh Results grows and distributes mangos from major production regions in the Americas, including Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico and Haiti. Its mango line includes Tommy Atkins, Haden, Kent, Keitt and Haitian Francine varieties.

The company also has a year-round papaya program from Belize.

“Our Peruvian mango and Belizean papaya programs are currently underway,” Mr. Crawford said. “We ship mangos and papayas year round.”

Fresh Results is also one of the larger berry growers and marketers in the United States.

“Our blueberry production is currently finishing from Chile,” he said in late February. “And we will transition next into Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon and British Columbia. Then we will start our offshore programs from Argentina and Chile again. This completes our year-round production cycle.”

Fresh Results is a fast-growing, dynamic company that lays claim to being one of the larger, more-reputable fresh berry growers and shippers in the world.

“We are responsible for almost 20 percent of all fresh blueberries imported into the U.S. from September through mid-December,” said Mr. Crawford. “Fresh Results was originally formed as a marketing arm for the largest single grower of blueberries in the Southern Hemisphere. The partnership with Blueberries S.A. was formed about six years ago by Dr. Ulises Sabato, Agnes Fitton and I. Our global retail clients are the most discerning, and that is why they demand Fresh Results.”

The company also grows and/or works with grower-partners for its blackberry, seedless grape, avocado, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, apple, lemon and onion programs.

“The produce industry is constantly changing,” Mr. Crawford noted. “Weather is what makes it most exciting.”