California-based Purity Organic Produce has announced it will be importing its first Peruvian organic avocado shipment in the first week of June.

CEO Greg Holzman tells www.freshfruitportal.com he believes the company is the only certified importer of the product from Peru, however interrupcion* Fair Trade has claimed it will have a Peruvian organic avocado deal of its own from Ica.

"This really is an historic moment - we will have the equivalent of 20 loads which is certainly enough to have good movement and a program with retailers, from the same grower we will be working with for our organic grape program in the winter," says Holzman.

"Peru has a great window and the opportunity in the U.S. is really strong because organic avocados from Mexico this year are very short - by the end of June there should be a dearth of Mexican avocados, and I'd say almost none in organic."

He says the supplying grower is based in Chimbote, Ancash department, in the country's northwest.

Director of sales and marketing Steve Akagaki adds the business is very excited to be the first importer of organic Peruvian avocados.

"The Peruvian quality is there with very good oil content, so we expect sales to be brisk."

The company says it will provide a steady three-month supply of the product in all sizes, as well as a bagged avocado program.

Idaho-based Kingston & Associates Marketing has announced it will be importing Peruvian avocados from late June through to the end of August, however the fruit will not be organic.

"We are excited to expand our working relationships with our growers in Peru but even more excited to help them establish the marketing of this relatively new program here in the United States," saiys Kingston president Ken Nabal.

The majority of its avocado volumes will channel through South Florida where Kingston owns and operates a state-of-the-art cold storage facility in Pompano Beach.

"Our close proximity to the ports of entry in South Florida as well as our strategically located facility, Kingston Cross Dock and Cold Storage, in Pompano Beach, gives us a distinct advantage for distribution in to the Southeast," says owner Dave Kingston.

"Between our relationships and 'eyes' on the ground in Peru, QA and Food Safety team at our storage facility in Florida, and even our trucks in the Southeast, we are able to monitor quality and control all aspects of the supply chain.

www.freshfruitportal.com