Last Friday, March 5, our director, Georgius Gotsis, visited the city of Nogales, Arizona. He participated in several meetings with “Del Campo y Asociados”, with the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, and with the Chairman of the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority, Jaime Chamberlain.

At the facilities of Del Campo y Asociados, he presented the progress of Veggies from Mexico to its director Diego Ley Vela, as well as its sales team. They explained the benefits of the distinctions of our community since “Agricola Del Campo” holds the Beyond level. They told us that they would share this distinction with their buyers. The weekly audit is a unique feature in our industry and always comes to support the safety of the companies in our community. It is worth mentioning that in their boardroom we were very pleased to find one of the VFM badges framed.

At the Fresh Produce Association, we had a meeting with Georgina Felix, Director of Operation & International Affairs. As well as with Emmis Yubeta, Director of Membership & Events; and Andrea Ortega, Communications Coordinator. We exchanged ideas on how to continue promoting our community and share the advantages of belonging to it, as well as how to buy from it. VFM will soon become a member of the FPAA to share tools, news, trends, and ideas to strengthen our industry. It is worth mentioning that the meeting is held in their boardroom where we were very pleased to see photographs from the 20s and 30s, where the first tomatoes and vegetables from Sinaloa arriving Nogales were shown, as well as some distributors of the past.

Finally, in the meeting with Jaime Chamberlain, he shared with us the great benefits of the opening of the two bridges at the I-19 and SR-189 intersection in Nogales. These bridges were inaugurated on February 24 and will allow trucks with vegetables coming from Sinaloa a faster and safer passage through the city of Nogales.

In the month of April, our director and some Veggies from Mexico advisors will be participating in a booth at VIVA Fresh, where they will continue to promote the dynamics, criteria, and distinctiveness of our community.