“Fresh produce doesn’t wait for a holiday to pass before it gets on its way to its destination,” said Ana Ramos, co-owner with her husband, Frank, of the Perishable Specialist Inc., headquartered in Miami. “Delivering perishables to their destination in the best possible condition means that they must move as quickly and efficiently as humanly possible — and that’s what we mean to accomplish every day of the year.”

The husband-and-wife team juggles the major responsibilities of clearing imported produce, assuring proper cold storage protocol and working with logistics operations with raising their two teenage daughters — and it’s apparent that they are great parents. Daughter Sophia is studying publishing with the goal of working in the produce industry in the future, and her younger sister, Analis, has great aspirations.

The Perishable Specialist is licensed as a customs broker by U.S. Customs & Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security specializing in perishables.

“Although our headquarters are in Doral, a section of Miami, we are a remote location filer,” Ramos stressed. “We are able to clear cargo at all ports of the United States. And although our expertise is at Miami International Airport, where we clear perishable air arrivals from all over the world, we also clear containerized ocean cargo at the Port of Miami and Port Everglades, as well as in Philadelphia, Newark, Wilmington, Houston, Long Beach and other ports of entry.”

The Perishable Specialist has had a past near decade of major growth and evolvement. Becoming approved as a Remote Location Filer in 2007 by Customs & Border Protection is one of the company’s more recent accomplishments. In 2004, it was proudly certified as a member of C-TPAT, and was validated by Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, commonly referred to as C-TPAT, in 2006.

In 2003, the company was ranked number 27 in Entrepreneur magazine’s America’s Fastest Growing New Businesses. In 2005, the Perishable Specialist made the Hispanic Business Top 500 Company’s list.

In 2011 the company expanded by adding an accounting wing to its existing building, making the location a contemporary state-of-the-art office.

Ramos said that the company represents all the major players in the produce industry.

“We have strong relationships with customers that import fresh fruits and vegetables from Argentina, Chile, Guatemala and Peru,” she said. “We strive to visit all of our exporting countries prior to the forthcoming seasons in order to gain a better understanding of the importers’ and exporters’ needs. Today, we continue to grow and further our involvement and contacts in the perishables industry.”

The Perishable Specialist has outstanding relationships with all government agencies that play a role in proper import procedures, including Customs & Border Protection, Agriculture Quarantine Inspection, a department within CBP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food & Drug Administration.

She also pointed out that the company only handles fresh fruits and vegetables, giving it an added edge over custom brokers that handle a broad range of products such as dry and processed goods.

The Ramos couple founded the Perishable Specialist in 2001. Together they bring over 50 years of experience specializing in the perishable industry.

Ramos said that Chile continues to be “the pearl” of the exporting industry. The company started clearing Chilean produce nearly three decades ago, and volumes have increased steadily every year.

“Its pre-clearance procedures are in place with all required U.S. agencies,” she said. “Chilean blueberries are one of the most popular items that the country exports to the U.S., and they are a staple in American homes today.”

Ramos said that with the company’s experience, it continually strives to provide a boutique feel to customs clearing by providing the services needed by the industry’s top importers.

“But we never lose the personal touch with our clients,” Ramos noted. “Since our inception we have grown to a staff of over 17 full-time employees. We are the epitome of a streamlined process when it comes to clearing imported fruits and vegetables. Our process is geared toward getting customers’ ocean containers or air arrivals of fresh fruit and vegetables cleared and to their warehouses quickly so customers can concentrate on what they do best: selling fresh produce.”