Mission Produce and the Port of Savannah are partnering to import Peruvian-grown avocados into the U.S.

“Importing avocados through Savannah was a first for Mission Produce, and for the avocado industry,” said Jose Maldonado, director of global logistics and transportation for Mission Produce.

California-headquartered Mission Produce ships avocados to the U.S. from May through September.

Peru has large areas dedicated to avocado production along the coast in the region of La Libertad. Mission’s operations in the country cover 25,000 acres and are centered at Arato, near Chao, and Beggie, near Viru.

In addition to operations in Peru, Mission Produce ships avocados on a year-round basis from multiple countries, including Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, and the U.S. In August, the company completed its first shipment of Peruvian avocados to China.

The company recently completed the construction of new packing facilities in Oxnard, California, and Chao, Peru, and operates eight value-added ripening centers across North America.

“During the Peruvian season, we brought containers through Savannah to give us quicker access for our customers in the southeast, said Malfonado. “Because of Georgia’s central location within a large and growing market, combined with anticipated growth in farm output, we’re expecting to move more cargo through Savannah next year.”

Savannah’s Garden City Terminal offers 94 refrigerated container racks and 733 chassis plug-ins, powering 2,989 refrigerated boxes at a time. Another 10 racks will be complete by the end of the year, adding 240 slots for perishable goods.
The Georgia Ports Authority moved nearly 140,000 TEUs of refrigerated cargo in fiscal year 2015. The GPA anticipates a 4.5 percent growth rate of refrigerated cargo in the next year.