The dragon fruit season from Ecuador is underway and production volumes are starting to ramp up. “We’re now starting to see higher volumes come into the US, although the market is still a little short at the moment,” says Jose Roggiero of Freshway Produce.
Current crop has good quality
Freshway Produce works directly with growers in Ecuador and has their own packing facility there. “We take all sizes from the growers and have the ability to pack between three to four loads a day. We pack both white and yellow dragon fruit in our facility, even though they are grown in separate regions in Ecuador,” Roggiero shares.
Last year, there were a few quality issues with the yellow dragon fruit because the growers weren’t able to tend to their crops as much as they wanted to during the initial stages of the pandemic. Fortunately, the quality of the incoming crop of both white and yellow dragon fruit looks to be good. “We are seeing good brix levels and the fruit that is coming in is healthy, which is very good. The farmers have gotten back to investing in their agricultural practices and are ensuring good post-harvest quality. We are hopeful that we will continue to see good quality as we go throughout the season,” says Roggiero.
For Freshway Produce, the volumes of the white and yellow dragon fruit are increasing now, and they expect to be able to deliver steady volumes through the coming months. “We expect that through the balance of March we will see the volumes increase with good supplies being available throughout April. The yellow dragon fruit will run through April or May, and the white should go all the way to June – both the red and white varieties will have consistent volumes,” Roggiero explains.
Logistical challenges: Pandemic and recent winter storms
The majority of the dragon fruit is shipped by ocean freight, but there were still some logistical challenges throughout the pandemic. “Now, though, everything is mostly starting to get back to normal and we have been able to overcome the challenges. Our facility is back on track too, and we have renewed our certifications,” Roggiero says.
Due to the winter storms hitting many states, the logistics in February were also more complicated. Roggiero shares: “In addition to the weather, there was the flower rush of Valentine’s Day. It was challenging to fly in product during the time surrounding Valentine’s and we have also seen a big increase in truck rates. Then the weather caused delays in deliveries. But we work with consolidation points across the country that help to prevent any delays in our program business, which has helped us.”
“Our focus this past year has really been on communicating our vertical integration to our clients, as well as our high-quality packing. Our whole team is working very consciously to take care of our employees and ensure that there is a consistent supply without interruptions throughout the season. Good things are coming; the market has been dry for a few weeks now and we’re excited that the supplies will be ramping up again soon,” Roggiero concludes.
For more information:
Jose Roggiero
Freshway Produce Inc.
Email: jose@freshwayusa.com
www.freshwayusa.com