PHARR, TX – As 2017 PMA Fresh Summit fast approaches, buyers and suppliers alike are turning their focus to new offerings, new packaging, and new and innovative ways to serve their customers. One such company is London Fruit; a premier provider of limes, avocados, and mangos from Mexico is taking to Fresh Summit with some trade secrets in tow.
I recently had the opportunity to pry Project Manager Kalani Jaime and Cindy Swanberg Schwing, Sr. Marketing / Business Development, for information.
“Presently, we do 1-lb and 2-lb bag limes, and we also do some multi-size count mesh bags for avocados, and this year we’re going to introduce a little something else. I’m not going to tell you what it is,” Kalani jokes. “I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag—we’re not telling our secrets just yet—but we want people to be aware, to come by and see us, and we want to show our new offerings to our customers, our prospects, and our friends.”
Try as I might, this cagey produce veteran would not give up the goods. So, I changed my tack, and asked what London Fruit’s focus will be at PMA Fresh Summit.
“One of the things we want to emphasize at this year’s PMA is our packaging—our value-added packaging and custom packaging. If we have customers that require or ask about different setups—clamshells or bags or specialty boxes, for example—we have that ability, and that is something that we’re going to be showcasing this year at PMA,” Kalani says.
London Fruit is seeking to provide even more options to its customers and offer retail solutions to meet any number of needs, Kalani and Cindy tell me. As a company that has always been on the cutting edge, providing its customers with whatever they need, London Fruit isn’t afraid of adapting and taking on new challenges and stepping outside the company’s comfort zone.
“We’re fearless,” Cindy tells me. “In keeping with the theme of PMA’s convention, ‘Let’s Grow Together,’ we wanted to jump on board with that and emphasize how we want to grow with our customers in the same way. I think that as things change with trends and preferences in the trade, it’s nice that we’re a smaller company that is nimble and able to accommodate our customers with options like custom packaging.”
With year-round supplies of limes and avocados, the former from Veracruz and Oaxaca and the latter from Michoacán, and mangos available in season from up and down the coast of Mexico, London Fruit is primed to meet demand for premium-quality value-added fruit.
The company encourages industry members to stop by and visit the team at booth #1753 at this years PMA Fresh Summit. The team will include Jerry Garcia Sr., VP and Sales Manager, who coined the phrase “at London we do things right.” The company certainly guards its secrets well, so stop by and see what’s new.
For more on all things produce, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
