Jay Krichmar

Jay Krichmar, president of Krichmar Produce Co. Inc.

Southern Specialties’ ‘Southern Selects’ blackberries and blueberries.

On Nov.

“The Giumarra Companies imports berries, avocados, stone fruit, cherries, grapes, kiwifruit, apples, pears, citrus, persimmons and cherimoya from Chile,” said Hillary Brick, senior vice president of marketing for the Los Angeles-based company. “We also import limited volumes of onions and pomegranates from Chile.”

Gourmet Trading, headquartered in Los Angeles, produces year-round supplies of blueberries and asparagus in addition to handling blackberries. Julia Inestroza, marketing and merchandising manager for the company, said that it imports blueberries from Chile from December through February.

“We offer all the standard-size packs that customers want,” said Ms. Inestroza. “We also offer special labels to increase sales such as our ‘Smurf’ label.”

“Our customers wish for us to supply them with core products year round,” Dave Parker, director of marketing for Scattaglia Growers & Shippers LLC, headquartered in Traver, CA, told The Produce News. “This is why we do business in the Southern Hemisphere. Working with highly professional growers and exporters enables us to live up to our motto, ‘Good Taste Delivered Well.’”