<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Savannah, GA-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">1.17.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Giumarra International Berry, based out of California, brought its first shipment of South American-grown blueberries through the port of Savannah earlier this week.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/258_4_berries-22.jpg" alt="Images 011613" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“We’re excited to enter this new partnership, which highlights the Georgia Ports Authority’s commitment to the refrigerated cargo market,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz, according to savannahnow.com.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Because of our direct interstate access, as well as having two Class I rail services on our facility, we can serve the Atlanta and Southeast regions more efficiently by importing this fresh produce directly through the Port of Savannah,” said Foltz.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Giumarra has been importing South American-grown berries since the late 90s and maintains a well-established farm network in Chile, Argentina, and other Central and South American countries, which allows the company to meet demand when North American production ceases.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/hl_giumarra_nov_2012_BANNERv2.jpg" alt="Images 011613" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“The Port of Savannah has a streamlined flow that is very fast and efficient,” said East Coast General Manager for Giumarra Alan Abe. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“We are looking forward to the upcoming Chilean blueberry season and we will have a complete Nature’s Partner program of blueberries from the Southern Hemisphere,” said Tom Richardson, VP of Global Development.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">U.S. blueberry imports are rapidly increasing from the Southern Hemisphere, and are considered one of the hottest items in fresh produce, according to the USDA.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Exemplar of this trend are Chilean blueberry imports which have more than doubled in the last four years, increasing by $128 million. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.giumarra.com/our_partnerships/giumarra_vbm_international_berry_llc/4" target="_new">Giumarra </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
