Fisher Capespan USA, LLC of Gloucester, NJ announced today that it has added fresh California avocados to its product lineup.
Fisher Capespan is one of North America’s premier fresh produce marketers specializing in table grapes, citrus, stone fruit and apples from Chile, South Africa, Peru, California, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Earlier this year, it expanded its commodity offerings to include avocados and hired Gahl Crane as its Director of Avocado Sales. Crane, head-quartered in Santa Ana, California, and his team at Fisher Capespan, have been providing fresh Chilean and Mexican avocados to Fisher Capespan’s customers since early February, 2010
Earlier this month, Fisher Capespan entered into a strategic alliance with South Coast Packing and Cold Storage, Santa Ana, CA for packing and handling California avocados. South Coast was originally formed to serve the needs of avocado and citrus growers in Southern California and its fit into Fisher Capespan’s strategic plan was perfect. As Crane explains:
Good expertise and broad product knowledge is the key to a successful avocado program. South Coast Packing complements our team of experts and provides us with all the elements of a strong California avocado program. For its part, the grower community already recognizes the strength that Fisher Capespan’s reputation, global relationships and strong financial backing offers to them. This grower support will allow us to continue to cultivate our business.
Fisher Capespan’s move into the avocado business complements its existing product lineup and allows it to increase its points of contact with both its customers and its suppliers. With a strong California program it will have a twelve-month-a-year supply of excellent avocados and will be able to offer value-added services to customers at the Santa Ana, facility.
Value-added services to be offered will include ripening, custom packaging, bagging, and consolidation. Mark Greenberg, Fisher Capespan’s Vice President – Procurement and Chief Operating Officer explains:
Our customers in all regions of North America continue to show growth in the avocado category and we see demand for ripened and custom-bagged fruit grow. In addition, our Avocado Division’s centralized location is ideal. It is situated in close proximity to the various growing areas of California avocados, in the region of some of the largest avocado markets in the country and with easy access for avocados arriving from Mexico and Chile
Fisher Capespan is based in Gloucester, NJ and Montreal, Canada with associated offices in Cape Town, South Africa, Santa Ana, CA and Bakersfield, CA. It is owned principally by Capespan (Pty) Ltd. of Cape Town, South Africa.
Source: Fisher Capespan USA, LLC
