Vanguard International is expanding its North American presence with the announcement of a new office in Bakersfield, California, that will operate as Vanguard Fresh California. Following the acquisition of its subsidiary Agricola Challapampa, one of Peru’s leading producers of grapes and citrus, Vanguard Fresh California has been established to enhance the marketing, sales, and distribution of its own-production and imports into North America to compliment the business already being done through its proven North American channels.
“Establishing a presence in California is an exciting step in Vanguard’s growth and mission to supply fresh, quality-assured produce 365 days a year,” said Craig Stauffer, CEO Vanguard International. “The timing was right, with significant increases in volumes of our popular grape varieties coming into production in Peru over the next few years.”
Vanguard Fresh will be staffed and led by Gene Coughlin (Vice President, Sales), Shawn Caldwell (Sales Manager), and Denise Smith (Sales Support Manager).
“We look forward to building a strong foundation for Vanguard in California and to ensure consumers across North America will have access to our popular varieties of grapes throughout the year,” said Gene Coughlin, VP Sales, Vanguard Fresh California. “In addition to representing Vanguard Fresh California, we’ll be working with a number of Vanguard’s historical strategic grower partners to market their fruit into North America as well.”
The current crop of Challapampa Table Grapes is a mixture of proprietary varieties of Red and Green Seedless, as well as Red Globes, with close to 800 hectares of new plantings planned in the Villacuri region of the Ica Valley in Peru. The initial harvest of Challapampa Tango Mandarins is scheduled for 2017, with an estimated 300 hectares to be in production within the next 2-3 years.
“With a vast expansion of new plantings scheduled to take place at Vanguard’s Peruvian operations, it was a natural evolution to establish a presence in North America to bring these highly demanded products to market,” said Dirk Winkelmann, Chief Business Development Officer, Vanguard International.
Challapampa, and its in-demand labels Red Tiger, Golden Horse, Silver Horse, Sweet Crane, and Pampa Fresh are well known in the global markets and is considered a leading grower and packer of Peruvian grapes. Vanguard is making significant further investments in Challapampa and in other agricultural holdings to strengthen Vanguard’s position to provide a 52-week annual quality and food safety assured supply solution to its global customers. Vanguard is undergoing a substantial new planting program with a host of new proprietary seedless grape and mandarin varieties that will support its customer base throughout the world, and establish a firm base for imports into the North American market.
Contact:
Emma Greasley
Blitz Media
Tel: 705-606-0184