Seven Seas, which is a member of the Tom Lange Family of Cos., is anticipating a 20 percent growth in its Peruvian asparagus imports this season.

Veteran produce salesman Tracy Wood joined the company five years ago and continues to help grow the imported asparagus program from both Peru and Mexico. He noted the company sources from both countries of origin with Peru supplies typically occupying the space from mid-April to mid-January and Mexico asparagus dominating sales from mid-January well into spring.

It will be 10 years in April since colleagues Patricia Compres and Maria Bermudez used their experience clearing agricultural products through customs to launch Advance Customs Brokers & Consulting LLC with its office in Miami.

Today the company still operates out of Miam but clears freight throughout the country.

“We’re continuing to grow every year,” said Bermudez.

“In the past year we have grown 10-12 percent,” said Compres, noting the company’s business has more than doubled since they started.

Paul Auerbach, president of Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., in Secaucus, NJ, admits that being in the produce business isn’t easy. He is constantly being thrown curveballs that cause problems and call for adjustment. Nonetheless, his company continues to grow and continues to thrive.

“We have to manage these issues just like everyone else,” he said. “I like to think that the key to our success is that we disappoint less than others.”

Though Peruvian asparagus importer Crystal Valley Foods expects a decline in volume this year, the company’s marketing director, Katiana Valdez, said supplies will be sufficient for holiday promotions.

The pandemic changed a lot of things, not the least of which was the way consumers shop. The likes of Amazon had already made online shopping an everyday event; the pandemic simply sped things up — especially when it comes to buying food.

Now, almost three years later, food retailers are still behind in developing integrated, seamless and personalized experiences across all channels, so says the 2022 Grocery Omnichannel Retail Index findings, recently released by OSF Digital, in partnership with FMI, the Food Industry Association, and NRF, the National Retail Federation.

In years gone by, U.S. importers of Peruvian asparagus would often compete, touting the freshness of their product because they brought the product into the United States via air rather than ocean.  That is rarely the case today as ocean shipments dominate the space.

“Ten years ago, 10 percent of the volume was shipped by ocean and 90 percent by air,” said Walter Yager, president of Alpine Fresh. “This year, I expect 80 percent by ocean and 20 percent by air.”