Chuck Olsen Co. anticipates good quality and volume
As part of the Chuck Olsen Co. year-round program, early San Joaquin Valley grapes are expected to complement fruit coming out of Mexico and Coachella, according to company President Jeff Olsen.
“We’ve seen a cooler spring, and the fruit looks very good,” Olsen said in late May. “It’s a matter now of how we finish them off. Water is a factor, of course, but the overall quality should be very good.”
D’Ottavio Produce in full swing with Jersey blueberries
M. D’Ottavio Produce Inc. in Vineland, NJ, is making good use of the new cooler it installed over a year ago. Mike D’Ottavio, owner and president, told The Produce News that it holds 170 pallets and enables the company to maintain a constant cold chain.
“Our goal is to keep it as cool as possible,” said D’Ottavio.”It has enabled us to increase our sales by maintaining a wide range of multi variety packs.”
Another family member, Cole Papen, joining Papen Farms
Papen Farms Inc. in Dover, DE, has numerous family members working in the company, and they all have their own unique ability and individual position.
Cole Papen, grandson of Richard Papen, sales manager for the company, joined the company following his high school graduation this spring. He joins the ranks of several fourth-generation family members now working for the company.
Avocados leading the way at Camposol
LIMA, Peru — Camposol currently sits in a leadership position when it comes to avocados, and the company is looking to keep it that way.
Samuel Dyer, president of Camposol, based here, said that while the company has branched into different disciplines of agriculture, avocados remain its most important commodity, accounting for about 20 percent of its overall revenue in 2015.
Social responsibility plays big part in Camposol’s operations
NUEVO CHAO, Peru — Camposol, a leading Peruvian agribusiness headquartered in Lima, Peru, is looking to capitalize on the increased access of the U.S. market for Peruvian avocados.
The company, owned by the Dyer family, is investing heavily in its avocado operations near Trujillo, a coastal region north of Lima, and is seeing promising results.
Agrokasa relies on intelligent management to maximize production
BARRANCA, Peru — Agrokasa, a multi-faceted agricultural producer, has taken avocado growing to a new level of sophistication.
Its avocado orchard is ideally situated here, in a coastal region approximately 125 miles north of Lima.
“We have 3,000 acres of avocados, and the entire ranch is about 9,000 acres, so we really have no neighbors,” said Jose Chlimper, president of Agrokasa and a former minister of agriculture for Peru. “Also, it is a very hilly region, which minimizes wind that can be bad for avocados.”
West Pak expects strong volume from Peru
If the avocado market remains strong — as it has been all year — Peruvian’s share may rise beyond current expectations, according to experts from West Pak Avocados Inc. in Murrieta, CA.
Kellen Newhouse, vice president of sourcing for the company, said that total volume is forecasted to be between 150 million and 175 million pounds this year, compared to 145 million pounds last year.
“But we may see an increase if the U.S. market stays strong and the euro stays weak,” he noted.
Peruvian avocados to fill void for Eco Farms
On the last business day in May, not many Peruvian avocados had made their way to the marketplace, but this season the market is ready for them — and can no doubt use them.
Matthew Clark, general manager for Eco Farms Avocados Inc. in Temecula, CA, predicted that California will not reach the estimate for the size of its crop even though it has been downsized significantly in recent weeks. As the California season was getting under way several months ago, the California Avocado Commission estimated the marketable crop at 327 million pounds.
Index Fresh to build on last year’s Peruvian success
While some marketers need to rethink their Peruvian avocado strategy after last season, Index Fresh Inc. in Bloomington, CA, does not include itself in that group.
“We didn’t have any issues last year,” said Dana Thomas, president of this Southern California-based avocado operation. “We had a plan and we stuck to it, and we are going to do the same thing this year.”