Freska Produce International, LLC is a California-based company established in August 2004 with the sole purpose of sourcing the freshest mangos from around the world; to achieve this end, it works with growers in many countries, thereby ensuring year-round availability.“At the moment, our mangoes are being sourced from Los Mochis, in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. In about two weeks, the first shipments from Brazil will arrive; then we’ll move on to Ecuador from early October until January and Peruvian mangoes from mid-December until March, when we return to Mexico, namely to the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas,” explains Gary Clevenger, of Freska Produce.
All of the company’s handling facilities have numerous certifications, including HACCP, as well as a quality control team that oversees all produce to ensure it meets the required standards. Gary affirms that “this allows us to provide consistency in terms of quality, no matter where the product is sourced from.”
In addition to this top level fruit, the company also moves second quality fruit through secondary labels, striving to keep the best quality fruit for the number one labels.
In terms of markets, Freska Produce enjoys a great advantage in Australia and New Zealand, where it has been established for about 10 years. “We also ship consistently to our clients in Japan, despite some tough competition. Our exports leave via the port of Los Angeles in container ships or fly out from LAX., although 90% of the imports remain in the U.S. domestic market,” assures Gary.
In North America, the mango market is currently in a steady situation and will wind down around September, with the end of the deal with Mexico. Gary explains that “at this time, quality becomes an issue, and New Zealand and Australia introduce their own produce into the market. The key to remaining competitive is to know when you have to stop.”
Despite being mostly focused on North America, Freska Produce is always looking for the right opportunities at the right window to continue expanding. Its labels have become well-recognised, not only because of the fruit’s quality, but also to the investments made in promotional work. “Success is not necessarily down to variety preferences, but above all to logistics and timing.” concludes Gary Clevenger.
For more information:
Gary Clevenger
Freska Produce
Tel: +1 805-650-1040
Fax: +1 805-650-3550 Fax
sales@freskaproduce.com
www.freskaproduce.com