Kingston & Associates Marketing To Continue Expansion Of ‘Sugar Pine’ Golden Pineapple Program

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO — Kingston & Associates Marketing LLC, announced its plan for the expansion of its Costa Rican MD2 golden variety pineapple program – the Kingston “Sugar Pine” with an estimated volume increase of  30% over last season.  The growth is driven by increased customer demand and expansion into new geographic areas of the United States in recent months.  “For over twelve years, Kingston has solidified its position as a premier marketer of high quality Costa Rican pineapples in the United States,” explained Kingston Marketing President, Ken Nabal.  “Our strong focus on customer service, overall dependability, and long-standing grower relationships have allowed these programs to flourish.  Recognition of Kingston’s “Sugar Pine” brand as the standard for quality in the industry is the driving motivation behind this expansion.  Our team and our customers are excited!” 

Kingston owner and CEO, Dave Kingston, commented, “The pineapple programs have been a great success for our team and a great source of pride for me.  Since my first trip to Costa Rica in 2000, we have grown into having an entire pineapple division. Whether it be our QA and food safety ‘boots on the ground’ in Costa Rica or our talented sales professionals in 4 regional offices, this infrastructure network keeps us active in major regional ports and in close proximity to our customers.”

While the pineapple programs remains  the flagship import program for Kingston & Associates Marketing, the Company has recently branched out into several other key globally-sourced products, such as, mango, papaya, asparagus and sweet onions, just to name a few.  Mike Anderson, Director of International Procurement for Kingston, noted, “Our strong presence both in the various growing regions and with the port terminals has been the gating item, allowing us to continue growing and open new distribution channels for sourcing other new products from Central and South America. We have excellent relationships in these countries and our grower-partners are excited to work and expand with us here at Kingston.” 

Dave Kingston concluded, “With this added expansion, we will be better positioned to service our customers domestically and grow our collective businesses.  The key, as usual, will be to continue our highest level of customer service and a relentless commitment to quality and food safety—that is the Kingston brand promise behind everything we do.”

Kingston will have a team of sales and procurement professionals attending this year’s PMA Summit 2012 in Anaheim, CA in late October.  We look forward to seeing all of you at the PMA!

About Kingston Companies

• Kingston & Associates Marketing is one of the largest distributors and marketers of produce products including fresh potatoes, onions, lettuce, broccoli, sweet pineapples, and much more (http://www.kingstonmarketing.com).
• Kingston Cross Dock and Cold Storage is a state-of-the-art produce storage and shipping facility in Pompano Beach, FL.  Learn more at http://www.kingstoncrossdock.com
• Associated Trucking provides refrigerated, non-refrigerated, and flatbed transportation to all 48 states in the continental USA.  We provide transportation services to the fresh produce, nursery, furniture and other industries.

Source: Kingston Companies