"We can ship baby carrots from Mexico to the US in a day"

Baby vegetables are not well known among the general public, although some restaurants do use them a lot and their demand is on the rise. It is possible that soon they will become common in a society that is increasingly concerned about healthy eating.

Nat's Veggies is a Mexican company specialised in the cultivation of baby agricultural products, especially carrots, its flagship product. This family-owned company started in 2010 with a production of 4 hectares, which has now increased six fold and reached about 25 hectares.

Nat's Veggies decided to grow baby vegetables because a few American companies were looking for a firm that produced them in the Mexican region of Baja California, as it is an excellent region because of its climate and its proximity to the US border. "We can harvest the carrots and ship them to customers in Los Angeles or San Francisco in a day," affirms Natalia Garnica, of Nat's Veggies. "They are consequently very fresh and have an excellent shelf life and presentation."

The company's most important product is orange baby carrots, which are combined with others of different colours in order to create a rainbow. "We have purple, yellow, white, orange and red carrots," lists Garnica, adding that they are increasingly demanded, as more and more people want to eat healthily nowadays.

"Currently, our main customers are mostly restaurants. There are not many people who are familiar with rainbow carrots, or who know how to prepare them, but restaurants do use them," explains the producer, although she also doesn't rule out their becoming popular among the general public. "In the future, the 3 kilo bags will become more common."

The company cultivates other vegetables in baby format, but before adding a new product or variety to its range, it is essential to make sure it will be possible to sell it, so they wait for one of its customers to request it before growing large volumes, because it will require a large investment.

The company supplies its products all year round, as between October and May the production of some of the products is moved to Cabo San Lucas, in southern Baja California. "In Ensenada, it is too cold in winter to grow some of our products. Carrots can survive the winter there, but beans, baby pumpkins or herbs can't," states Garnica.

Although some of its products reach high prices throughout most of the year, the producer believes that the market for agricultural products always depends on supply and demand. "If there are too many beans in the market, the price falls. It also depends on the competition. Mexico, as a country, competes with Guatemala, which also grows baby vegetables. But Mexico has a great advantage: its proximity to the United States. We are more competitive and our logistics costs are lower," she explains.

Changes in US legislation

Lastly, Garnica stressed that 2017 will be a very difficult year because of the changes that are to be enforced in the phytosanitary regulations for imports to the United States. "Agricultural companies are going to have to make large investments in food safety, as the United States is to become much stricter as regards the certifications needed for Mexican producers wanting to export to the US. We have been working very hard to obtain all the necessary certifications to ensure our products are perfectly safe, but not everyone has the money or meets the necessary requirements," concludes Garnica.