Sigma Sales’ Mike Smith discusses Nogales deal
Sigma Sales’ Mike Smith discusses Nogales deal
RIO RICO, AZ — Mike Smith has been in the Nogales produce business for 36 years. This is his 23rd year owning and operating Sigma Sales Inc., located here.
Smith is pleased by the formula that has always driven his business. He has observed the development of the Nogales deal.
He recently discussed those topics with The Produce News.
For Sigma, “our focus is still to provide a service. We have had a really good customer base for a long time.”
A recent change is to serve a bigger part of North America’s foodservice trade. Sean Barton handles that portion of Sigma’s business, Smith said.
“The rest of our business is organic growth. We take on a new customer, but we don’t pound the pavement. We focus on people who have always been with us. We have had great relationships with our customers. If they grow, we grow. It’s simple in principle but doing it is not so simple.”
Sigma handles its own honeydew deal in the fall, which wound up in late October. Sigma also handles its own Mexican grape deal in the spring. But most of its business is consolidating product in its Rio Rico warehouse. Sigma’s own quality-control people and trucks are critical to the success of that business.
“We have been at it a long time and we have a pretty good reputation here in town,” Smith indicated.
The Nogales deal “is a little different” than in the past. “Most people who are here have been here for a long time. There are no secrets. It’s a small town. We are at the end of the line. People think this is a Wild West operation. But because of logistics there are a lot of inherent problems” because of border crossings. “We have to work ahead and we are here to take the wrinkles out of the business for our customers.”
Smith noted, “There have been a lot of outside companies come here to throw money at the Mexican deal. You can get as big as you want. In some cases that has worked. In some cases it hasn’t. If you put too much money in you can get overextended. It is farming and there are unknowns everywhere. In the last 30 years I’ve seen a lot of companies come and go. But a lot of people are still here.”
