Green Pomelo from Vietnam is the latest tropical fruit addition to the product list of Tropi Ardel, based in Los Angeles.

Rigoberto Arquioni, Tropi’s managing director, spoke with FreshFruitPortal.com at the Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim on Oct. 21.

Arquioni has imported Vietnamese durian and mango for quite a while, meeting USDA phytosanitary requirements by irradiating products in Vietnam. First imported by Tropi in March 2023, the Green Pomelo is the latest product to be imported by this means. “The Green pumelo has red flesh. It is very sweet, and people love it.” There are other varieties, such as the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai pomelo, but, he adds, “the Green is the one everyone likes the best.” 

Arquioni operates farms and offices in Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Jamaica, Ecuador, and Peru.

For imports to the U.S., Tropi Ardel receives the fruit by air or sea into Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Philadelphia. Tropi trans-ships to eastern Canada via the Port of Philadelphia. He says 90% of his clients are ethnic Asians. Key in this group are people with roots in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, and China.

 Mexican jackfruit is one of his biggest products, and Arquioni imports up to five containers of malanga from Mexico per week. He also handles Mexican mangoes and ships Mexican avocados to the Far East. 

Tropi’s booth in Anaheim displayed a wide range of exotic produce items, including nicely packaged aromatic coconuts from Thailand and frozen Durian from Vietnam. Ecuadorean yellow pitaya, Guatemalan rambutan, and mangosteen from Central America were also among the many items on display.

 Arquioni operates with the proper food safety certifications, such as GlobalGAP and Primus. 

A native of El Salvador, he left the country in 1981 to escape the civil war. His early career involved working with Dubai partners in a trading company, as he sourced fruit in Central and South America.

His business opportunities grew from there.