Asian vegetables that include Bok Choy's, Shanghai Mieu's, Snow Pea Tips, Choy Sum and Baby Napa, grown in Mexico and exported to the US and Canada could soon be on their way to Europe. That is if the producer and exporter Daily Veggies can find partners in Europe to meet the growing interest and demand says Jose Negrete, head of growth for the company.
© Daily Veggies
Jose Negrete, head of growth for Daily Veggies.
“Asian leafy vegetables are in general around 10-20% more profitable than conventional veggies under normal market conditions. We are looking for a partnership in Europe to be able to enter the market. We believe that there is a great opportunity for countries like England and Germany,” states Negrete.
Daily Veggies, based in Guanajuato, Mexico, were originally focusing on growing purple garlic. They sort of stumbled into growing Asian veggies. “We started growing Asian vegetables 10 years ago, at that time our core business was purple garlic. We had a farm neighbour who was Asian from Toronto, Canada who was trying to grow Asian vegetables in Guanajuato. We saw the opportunity to help him, and with time and experience, we were able to produce the quality of vegetables that the Asian market wanted. We currently ship about 60% to the United States and 40% to Canada. Our main season is November to May, however, we can offer the possibility to grow year-round,” relays Negrete.
Over the past decade their operations expanded to include growing, packing and shipping their products from Mexico, along with warehouses and offices in New York City and McAllen, Texas. Negrete states: “We own value-added packaging capabilities and diverse presentations /packs to meet our client's needs. We constantly ensure that our products fulfil safety policies and requirements established by the industry. Our vision is to bring people closer to their origins through fresh produce. Currently, our volume is 20% conventional veggies and 80% Asian veggies. Our annual production is about 10,000 tons.”
Daily Veggies had interest from European buyers before the Covid-19 pandemic started, but had to put this on hold until trading conditions returned close to normal. “We are not exporting to Europe yet, we have some potential customers we met at Fruit Logistica 2020, however, due to COVID, we had to put this project on standby. Hopefully, we will start exporting this year. European retailers or wholesalers that are interested in value-added Asian Veggies, and want to improve or expand their ethnic program may be interested in what we can offer,” emphasised Negrete.
Visit Daily Veggies at Fruit Logistica Berlin in Hall 23, Stand E-07.
For more information:
Jose Negrete
Daily Veggies
Tel: +52 442 750 8648
Email: [email protected]
www.daily-veggies.com
