Yesterday the Mexican trade delegation ‘United Producers of Michoacán’ (UPM) visited The Greenery. The delegation, consisting of growers from the state of Michoacán de Ocampo, is here for ‘La semana Michoacana’ (Michoacan week) which took place in the Netherlands last week. According to Frank Ocampo, responsible for sourcing of Latin America and the Caribbean for The Greenery, it is imperative to welcome and support these initiatives with open arms.
United Producers of Michoacán
UPM might be located in the Netherlands, but it is a growers’ association representing more than 1,500 small and medium-sized growers from Michoacán. Managed by Lia Bijnsdorp, representative of UPM in the Netherlands, their presence is now fact. UPM is registered as a commercial enterprise with the Chamber of Commerce in Rotterdam. Last week this was celebrated with important guests, such as the mayor of Morelia, the Ambassador of Mexico in the Netherlands and the Dutch Ambassador in Mexico, and importers including The Greenery.
Opportunities European market
“Producers from Michoacán are primarily focused on the US and Mexico. But because of growing demand for several products from this region, including limes, avocados, grapefruit, berries and mangoes, more and more opportunities on the European market are arising. The diversity of cultivation climates also creates larger chances for success,” according to Frank Ocampo.
In recent years The Greenery conducted many tests. These have shown that, upon arrival of above-mentioned products, quality often left much to be desired when these were imported by sea container. Air cargo always ran and is still running smoothly. Air cargo trade will mainly remain a niche market for small programmes, container cargo is the only way to create a position for yourself and make a difference.
Sustainable trading
“Nowadays the ‘post harvest treatments’ of several fruits have been significantly improved in Michoacán, meaning it can better survive the trip from Michoacán to Rotterdam,” according to Ocampo. “Besides, GlobalGAP is rule rather than exception for a large part of the growers. This is very important to The Greenery,” he continues. “The products we import from all corners of the world are all GlobalGAP certified. Additionally, together with several retailers we signed a covenant committing ourselves to provide at least one sustainability certification to our imported products from so-called risk countries by 2020. These include Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, BSCI, BRC. Our customers and The Greenery want to trade ethically,” says Frank Ocampo.
“With the right partners and suppliers we have globally, and with our diverse customers within the Retail and Trade segments, we are working together to achieve this end goal. This is the reason The Greenery welcomes and supports these kinds of new projects with open arms. We already have close trade relations with a number of growers within the UPM group, and we trust in a positive growth for the entire chain.” Various projects are already in negotiation to improve the import from Michoacán together.