Miami received its first consignment of cold treated grapes from Peru on 18 November, part of a six-month Cold Treatment Pilot Programme allowing cold treated produce to be imported directly from Peru and Chile to the port. The arrival marks a breakthrough for importer Alpine Fresh and for Peruvian grower Complejo Beta, who became the first grower to successfully export produce to southern Florida.
“Importing directly from Miami will save us the cost of freight in having to bring the grapes from New York to Miami allowing Alpine Fresh to provide consumers with fresher product at a lower cost.” said Alpine Fresh's CEO Walter Yager, pictured right with PortMiami's Javier Kuryla at a ceremony to unveil a plaque marking the inaugural shipment.
The aim of the pilot programme, which began on 1 October, is to allow the required cold treatment of fruit arriving from South America to be carried out in southern Florida. Before, imported fresh produce requiring cold treatment was always received into northern ports in regions such as Philadelphia and New York, and then distributed by truck to southern states. It means grapes and other products travelling to markets in Florida can now be offloaded directly in Miami, increasing their shelf-life and reducing the cost of onward transportation.
