NOGALES, AZ - The Mexico season has been winding down for Divine Flavor. As the supplier continues to provide excellent quality and variety, I got in touch with Alán Aguirre Camou, Chief Marketing Officer, and Michael DuPuis, Quality Assurance and Public Relations Manager, to discuss how supplies have fared.

“In Mexico, our tomato program is wrapping up. Supplies of hothouse tomatoes—Roma, Beefsteaks, and vine-ripened—as well as the Magnifico tomato out of Sinaloa and Sonora, are winding down,” Alán began telling me. “Both the organic slicer cucumber and the Long English cucumber ended earlier in Sinaloa this season. Bell peppers and mini peppers from Sinaloa ended a while ago as well. Besides that, regular seedless watermelon, mini watermelon, cantaloupe, and Hami melons are wrapping up at the end of May.”

Last year, with a hurricane that played a large part in the Mexico season, Divine Flavor faced some challenges, as many others did. Alán explained that this delayed some crops in Sinaloa, but Divine Flavor was well positioned to mitigate any shortages.

“We know how to adapt for our retailers despite the weather conditions, because it's part of progress at the end of the day—to try to find solutions ahead and assure supply, especially for our clients,” he added.

Michael echoed that sentiment.

“The growers we work with in Sinaloa are very experienced growers who have been producing for more than 30 years,” he stated. “Although there was bad weather, these guys responded very well. They know how to pivot. That's what the good growers know how to do—navigate through tough situations and get back onto a commercial scale as far as producing at good volumes to fulfill programs, but also meet the quality we need for our retail programs.”

As we move into the next season for Divine Flavor, I asked which regions the supplier’s operations will be focused on in the coming months.

“A couple of years ago, we finally connected western Mexico with central Mexico. West Mexico is more in charge of the winter veg, and central Mexico is helping us have that year-round hothouse offering opportunity, and also equality with the states of Guanajuato in central Mexico,” Alán noted. “Also in Jalisco, there is now way more volume than we had previously, thanks to the Queretaro and Guanajuato growers in central Mexico.”

Michael continued, stating, “It's a tremendous opportunity for us to have more expansion into central Mexico. As the years have gone by, seasonal produce in Mexico is kind of going away. Mexico is now truly a year-round operation as far as supplies go. We're excited because it will complement our programs to carry on beyond West Mexico and be a great bridge to connect the West Mexico season once it starts back up again in November and December.”

Looking toward next season, Alán has some predictions in terms of quality.

“One of our consistently high-quality items is our mixed bell peppers, either in three count or six count. The consumer loves these offerings because they apply to their daily kitchens,” he points out. “I already mentioned the snacking Magnifico tomato, but I will also note that the Long English cucumber and the Persian cucumber have been consistent items that North America loves in their daily kitchen.”

On a final note, Michael stated that quality and flavor are the DNA and backbone of Divine Flavor.

“We're continuously investing in those areas and trying to get really organized,” he said. “When it comes to forecasting projections, we're investing in our quality control teams that are working with growers to make sure we are forecasting correctly and using technology and AI to help better plan to fulfill our contracts. Alán is working very hard on standardizing quality and packing manuals to make sure the best product is being grown on our farms and delivered to our customers at the end of the day.”

In our next article, Alán, Michael, and I will discuss Divine Flavor’s Better Grower Program, so stay tuned.