“We don’t do a lot of East Coast business,” explains Edgar Duarte, secretary at Higueral Produce, Inc. “Our main concern is the West Coast. It used to be divided where Nogales handled all the West Coast business and Texas handled the East Coast. But we’ve had shippers from the Texas area now getting into our business on the West Coast. Especially with mangos, because they have a longer shelf life, are fairly easy to ship, and there aren’t as many freight costs with each package.”
“Importers of Mexican produce are diversifying their operations to take advantage of business opportunities,” confirms Lance Jungmeyer, president of Nogales-based Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA). The strategy, however, goes both ways. “In addition to Nogales companies expanding in South Texas, we’re seeing South Texas importers diversifying into Nogales,” Jungmeyer says.
Duarte confirms the dual operations gambit, but it doesn’t always work out. “We actually had an office out in Texas two years ago, and we ran it for a year. Overall, the cost wasn’t really worth it,” he observes. “We’re still crossing through Texas for some of our customers, but it’s very little.”
Images: SNEHIT, Paul Matthew Photography/Shuterstock.com
