SEDRO-WOOLLEY, WA February 18, 2011 – CF Fresh is celebrating a real milestone: their twentieth year of importing certified organic pears from Argentina. Not only will 2011 mark the twentieth season of their pioneering import program, but also two decades of working closely with visionary Argentine organic pear grower and exporter Agro Roca S.A.
“They’ve been with us since the very beginning” explained CF Fresh Co-President and founder Roger Wechsler. “We’ve had a great, close relationship for many years. They are wonderful people and great organic growers. The quality of their fruit is always top-notch. ”
Located in the fertile Rio Negro valley, Agro Roca’s commitment to sustainable and organic agriculture began with a small transition program in 1991. Gradually increasing their organic acreage every year, Agronomists Enrique Scholz and Leonardo Lustig faced numerous challenges but never gave up. Their efforts and commitment paid off: today Agro Roca is the largest independent producer of certified organic pears and apples in South America.
CF Fresh’s organic import program has grown significantly over the years, and Agro Roca’s organic production has grown as well. “When I started working with the imports in 1998, the entire program was well under 100,000 boxes a year,” said Lead Import Coordinator Addie Pobst. “We’d get in shipments of 40-50 pallets and think we were pretty big stuff. Now we do 200-400 pallets at a time, and we know enough to know we’re still the little guys.”
CF Fresh is a leading organic marketer providing fresh, certified organic produce to retail chains and wholesalers throughout North Americas as well as exporting to Europe and Asia. With growers located in Canada, the western US, Chile and Argentina, CF Fresh offers a year-round supply of high quality organic apples, pears, onions, potatoes, stone fruits and more. The company is a highly regarded pioneer in the organic industry, and is well known for innovation, quality and sustainability.
Source: CF Fresh Inc.
