MIAMI, FL – As summer progresses and we move away from domestic asparagus season, customers looking to keep consumers in supply of this delicately crisp veggie need not worry. Crystal Valley Foods is there to meet consumer demand with fresh product imported from growing regions in Mexico and Peru.

This year, though weather has stymied supply from both countries, Crystal Valley’s forward-thinking approach to production has allowed to company to address the needs of a tight market, and with peak season on the horizon for Peruvian asparagus, retailers can expect good supply and exceptional quality through the month of September.

“Crystal Valley is currently importing asparagus both from Peru and from Mexico. It is our goal to always keep at least some production coming from Peru during the Mexican harvest windows, in case there are weather related events in Mexico that interrupt their normal supplies,” Jay Rodriguez, President, tells me. “That was an issue this season during Mexico’s Central Highlands harvest window. Unexpectedly severe rains and even hail reduced volume by as much as 40 percent or more for some major growers. This happened in what is the peak Winter season in Peru, a period that new fields can’t be opened quickly due to the low ambient temperatures. The result has been a supply shortage for virtually all of the month of July and higher than normal market prices.”

While circumstances have resulted in shortages this year, Crystal Valley’s import programs are soon expected to round out this shortage with peak-season supplies of Peruvian asparagus set to hit the market in the next month. And with programs in place to import green and white asparagus year round, and a supply of purple asparagus to address the growing niche 4-5 months each year, Crystal Valley is well-suited to attend to the needs of customers leery of short supply.

"Crystal Valley Foods works with major farms in all regions of Peru and Mexico,” Jay explains, “and we are therefore in a constant process of preparing new fields to commence harvest and preparing to cease harvest cycles in farms that are currently supplying the US market. The farms in the Central Highlands of Mexico, the primary Mexican export region for the June-August period, are getting ready to cease harvest by the end of the month of August, while the main farms in Peru will be commencing their harvest for the peak Peruvian ‘September-December’ harvest window immediately after.”

With asparagus supply mounting to meet robust demand and a strong crop of blackberries and blueberries from growing regions throughout Latin America expected to begin in the next month, the end of summer promises to be busy for Crystal Valley. And anticipating customers’ needs, the company has a variety of pack sizes and options for its customers.

“In terms of asparagus, we offer everything from 11 lb bulk product, naked tips, and we offer a variety of bagged sizes which we are able to customize and private label. As we see more and more of our customers looking for bagged asparagus, we continue to invest more resources in our bagging and value-added capabilities.”

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Crystal Valley Foods