The hunger for convenience is not only changing the grocery landscape, but turning up everywhere—from convenience stores and airports to high-end department stores. Then there’s the Amazon and Whole Foods combo, marrying Amazon’s mastery of convenience with Whole Foods’ fresh market élan. This tumultuous landscape is forcing change. “The desire for convenience and ‘on demand’ service is really pushing produce to a whole new level,” confirms Leslie Simmons, vice president at Dave’s Specialty Imports, Inc.
Although demand for healthy foods is not new, the emphasis for fresh-made-easy continues to ramp up throughout the food industry. Traditional grocers are buying meal kit providers and increasing foodservice offerings in their stores, while smaller operations are partnering with pickup or delivery services in urban areas.
FRESH FORUM
Do you have any predictions for the coming year?Rosann Cabrera, Bayshore Produce, LLC
There should be growth in the export arena; the USDA is visiting the Caribbean market, trying to find ways to increase all U.S. exports.Pat Compres, Advance Customs Brokers & Consulting, LLC
We see continued growth in imports of blueberries from Peru. Additionally, with the recent U.S. market access granted by APHIS [Animal and Plant Health Services], we’ll see new imports of Hass avocados from Colombia and lemons from Argentina.Frank A. Ramos, The Perishable Specialist, Inc.
I predict 2018 to be a great year, because the glass is always half full and the sun always comes up the next day.Marc Holbik, Ecoripe Tropicals
We hope in 2018 to see the continued growth of tropical exotics, with rambutan becoming more common in supermarkets across the nation, and longan beginning to get more attention.
The push for healthier eating is impacting importers as well, as consumers are seeking a wider variety of choices—all year long. Compres confirms the surging demand, noting reams of increased paperwork as import volumes continue to climb.
Blazing Berries
The berry category, in particular, is benefiting from expanded marketing and consumer awareness of the fruit’s health benefits. Dave’s Specialty Imports, which focuses on berries, partners with growers throughout Latin America and Mexico to keep up with demand, including blueberries from Peru and Chile, strawberries from Mexico, and organic cherries from Argentina.
Heightening demand has clearly made Peru a “player in the blueberry market in the last few years,” says Simmons, though it has been “challenging to predict what we used to consider the typical pattern for the import season.” With Peru’s strong volume, imports can “force the market to take a big dive due to oversaturation.”
