CORAL GABLES, FL - Chilean grapes are adding a new route to the U.S. this season with the help of Flagler Global Logistics. The integrated logistics and real estate solutions company has opened a new treatment facility at the South Florida Logistics Center in Miami, Florida, bringing Chilean grapes closer to its customers in the Southeast. Chilean grapes are typically imported between December and April, and this new route adds another option for product that traditionally travels to the East Coast through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Wilmington, Delaware.
“We are striving to add value for our customers and the end consumer. Because of the travel time associated with imported perishable items, there is an industry wide issue with shrink that we are trying to mitigate,” Chris Scott, President and CEO of Flagler Global Logistics, tells me. “Our model is designed to improve the quality of the product and not only reduce shrink, but increase produce consumption.”
Chris bring 30 years of experience in logistics to his role at Flagler Global Logistics, from his days at PepsiCo and Marriott to head of the supply chain for Bi-Lo/Winn-Dixie. Chris has now been with the company almost 2 years.
“If we are speaking in dollars, this new route alone can save customers up to $2,000 per truckload or container and a lot of travel time,” he says.
Flagler Global Logistics’ faster and more effective transport comes on the heels of its new, patented fumigation technology. This technology helps to extend the shelf life of grapes by up to 7 days by more efficiently managing the cold chain and also recapturing the majority of fumigation gases in an environmentally friendly and safe manner.
And it’s not just for grapes. Asparagus, ginger, blueberries, citrus, flowers and other products are now taking route through Flagler Global Logistics’ South Florida facility.
“If we can offer the consumer a quality product that last 7 days longer when they bring their grapes home, they will keep coming back,” Chris notes. “And that is the intangible value.”
From managing supply chains, including perishables to transportation to Foreign Trade Zones and real estate development, Flagler Global Logistics is looking to enhance the Chilean grape trade with new paths and innovation.
