PHARR, TX – What does the new year hold for Triple H, the Texas-based fresh vegetable grower-shipper with strong ties to partners in Mexico? The company is optimistic and primed for a bright 2017 with expansion plans in the works.
“There is going to be an exponential growth of the entrances that are being made by this [the Texas/Mexico] border, especially in the winter season,” predicts Heriberto Vlaminck, Vice President of Operations for Triple H. “More and more people are sending more fruit on the Texas side; obviously, this comes hand in hand with the increase in cold storage facilities in the area.”
Vlaminck adds that the company saw a significant volume growth—25 percent—from 2015 to 2016. The burgeoning market for fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico in recent years has driven growth in infrastructure, and 2017 promises to continue the trend, with a construction boom and expanded capacity for imported produce feeding off each other. And construction on the Pharr Bridge, a major point of entry for the company’s supply of produce, has prompted redoubled efforts from importers and exporters in the region.
“There is a boom in the construction of cold storage facilities in the counties of Pharr, Hidalgo, San Juan and Mission; this comes hand in hand with all the construction, expansion, and improvement projects being done on the Pharr Bridge,” notes Vlaminck. “And with all the increase that is occurring in the number of cold storage facilities, there will be a very strong growth in imports of vegetables and fruits in this area.”
Vlaminck also notes that, while there has been an uptick in the building of distribution facilities in Texas near the border, there are impediments to uninhibited growth in the region. Lack of adequate storage facilities—a problem which is currently being worked on—and the capacity of bridges that carry goods across the border.
Vlaminck is also quick to point out that expanding infrastructure and developing Eagle Pass as an entrance to San Antonio, already a strategic center in produce distribution, would be beneficial to produce providers and consumers.
In the next two years, Triple H is planning to expand SmartCold, the company’s cold storage facility in Pharr, Texas, and to begin construction on a new cold storage facility in Otay, California. Additionally, the company is looking to expand into several new fruit categories—offering grapes, strawberries, and blueberries, and step up year-round supplies of many of its offerings.
“We already have roma tomato and jalapeño 365 days a year,” says Vlaminck “The next step is to have cucumbers and bell peppers year-round as well.”
We at AndNowUKnow will keep you up-to-date on this and other growing companies in this important region.
