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Produce House celebrating 10 years in business, adds organic citrus program

By
John Groh

produced houseProduce House, a Nogales, AZ-based distributor of Mexican produce, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in business and is also introducing a new organic citrus program to its lineup.

“We’re starting our 10th year in business and I am really proud of that and what we have been doing here at Produce House,” said Raquel Espinoza, CEO and director of sales and marketing.

Part of the pride that fuels Espinoza’s enthusiasm for Produce House is its growing roster of offerings. Most recently, the company added an organic citrus deal, and while still a fledgling program she is excited for the potential it brings to the company.

“We are diversifying our lineup by adding an organic citrus program that consists of oranges, limes, mandarins and grapefruit. We’re starting with light production because these are young trees, but we’re excited about production in the years to come.”

Espinoza said there was some light production of grapefruit at the start of the season and she saw some very good markets. There was some hope to begin offering early variety oranges, but she said the trees are still young.

“We will start mandarins in around two to three weeks, in a light way, and everything is grown in the state of Sonora and packed under the ‘Produce House Organic Citrus’ label,” she said.

Espinoza said Produce House decided to get into organic citrus because her business partner suggested it since production of citrus from other areas was decreasing and he saw an opportunity for product from Sonora.

“I think in the years to come we will see more citrus coming out of that state,” she said.

Aside from grapefruit and oranges, which start shipping in October, Produce House will offer organic Persian limes, which begin in early January, and organic Valencias, which commence in February.

“This citrus program is brand-new for us, so we’re learning something every day,” she said. “But we are fortunate to be able to rely on our growing partner and his expertise. We have the facilities and packing sheds certified for organic, so we’re ready to go. We’re just waiting to see how much volume we will have and what production will look like as we step into this new market. I am very excited to see how this all unfolds.”

Espinoza said that in addition to the new organic citrus program, Produce House is also looking to grow its four-year-old organic garlic line.

“That’s been a developing program that has complemented Produce House’s offerings,” she said. “It kind of fell in our lap and was a very small project, but it continues to grow and is something more that we can offer in the organic sector.”

Earlier this fall, Produce House was busy with its popular hard squash program, and Espinoza said movement was robust and pricing was very good.

“October and November are always good months for hard squash, which starts to wrap up by Thanksgiving,” she said. “Between the good movement and pricing, it was a nice season”

Other lines for Produce House include cucumbers, which Espinoza said started in October and see a gap in December before picking back up in March; and tomatoes, which are expected to start in mid-December with rounds and Romas and carry through the spring.

“These are the programs that repeat each year,” she said. “The production that we planted is the same each year.”

The recent SWIPE convention was another highlight this fall for Produce House, said Espinoza, who began a two-year term as chair of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.

“It was a great turnout – better than we expected,” she said. “I was really excited about the people who attended from different sectors of the industry, such a retailers and foodservice, and I was really happy to see all the distributors from here in Nogales. I think it really speaks to the community we have here.”

John Groh

John Groh

About John Groh  |  email

John Groh graduated from the University of San Diego in 1989 with a bachelors of arts degree in English. Following a brief stint as a sportswriter covering the New York Giants football team, he joined The Produce News in 1995 as an assistant editor and worked his way up the ranks, becoming publisher in 2006. He and his wife, Mary Anne, live in northern New Jersey in the suburbs of New York City.

 

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February 4, 2025
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