Bob Von Rohr, director of customer relations for Sunny Valley International, headquartered in Glassboro, NJ, told The Produce News that the company’s primary blueberry import programs are from Argentina and Chile, and it brings some product in from Uruguay.

“Timing on our Argentina deal is similar to last year,” said Von Rohr. “Because we don’t source from the early production areas, we are expecting to start the latter part of September with our first air shipments into Miami. Peak volumes will pivot around the few weeks before and few weeks after the mid-November time frame.

California Giant Berry Farms, headquartered in Watsonville, CA, has developed solid imported berry programs that complement its domestic production. The company is a volume producer of fresh and organic berries.

Ana Ramos is a licensed customs broker and partner with her husband, Frank Ramos, owners of The Perishable Specialist Inc. in Miami. The company is a leading brokerage firm specializing in fresh fruits and vegetables.

“We are anticipating a good solid season with some increases based on customer acquisitions and new deals from existing customers,” Ramos told The Produce News. “Blueberries from Guatemala have enjoyed gradual but consistent increases in volumes over the past three seasons.”

Silver linings can be elusive, but it is a positive that food safety is top of mind for virtually all Mexican mango sheds this year.

A quick Google search of “mangos recipes” illustrates the point for Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties Inc. He ticks of the various entries — mango salsa, mango avocado salad, chipotle mango, frozen mango margarita — and declares that mangos are becoming mainstream, which he sees as the key to increasing consumption and sales.

“The key to increasing mango sales as a whole is, number one, you have to have them on the shelf, and secondly people have to be familiar with the product,” Eagle said.

Approaching its third anniversary, Pompano Beach, FL-based HLB Specialties LLC, is anticipating a significant increase in its mango volume as it transitions to a 52 week supplier.

The firm was founded in October of 2010 as a joint venture between Southern Specialties Inc. and HLB Tropical Food USA Inc.

Initially the resulting company focused on sourcing, growing, packing, shipping and distributing several varieties of papayas grown in Brazil, Ecuador, Belize, Mexico and other countries in Central and South America. It has since expanded into mangos.