The fruit season has begun for CFI up and down the US West Coast for peaches, blueberries, grapes, and cherries! Containers are loading from sunny California to the warmth of Washington and Oregon’s deserts to faraway places in Asia. Fruit buyers in nations such as Singapore, India, and Vietnam are all bringing in containers of these fruits to sell in their markets and stores. Blueberries, peaches, and grapes are also hot commodities in overseas restaurants and homes every year.
As airfreight continues to slowly recover from a very difficult spring, the ability to ship fresh fruit by ocean freight and not sacrifice quality, freshness, and quantity on account of air capacity. We’ve talked at length about the shipments of cherries that we’re moving from California to Asia and expecting to move from Washington State to Asia in mid-June. This is possible because CFI has the knowledge and background to offer refrigerated containers, sometimes with a controlled atmosphere that essentially puts the fruit to sleep. The fruit arrives at these exotic places as fresh as when it left the U.S.
Controlled atmosphere is the storage method in which the concentrations of gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen) as well as the temperature and humidity are regulated to prevent early ripening, bruising, wilting, and spoilage. Fresh fruit and vegetables can be stored in controlled atmospheres to prolong their freshness and prevent ripening during extended cross-oceanic trips that would have been too long for the fruit to survive, let alone thrive.
When you choose CFI, you get the buying power of Kuehne + Nagel, the world’s largest NVOCC, behind us. We can secure highly competitive rates, access to equipment including refrigerated and controlled atmosphere containers, and space on vessels that are in high demand. IF you want the freshest arrivals your best bet during this season is Commodity Forwarders Inc for your refrigerated needs!
