Freight News, Sea

Port Everglades Welcomes the Avocado Express

[ November 10, 2017   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The first shipment of Colombian Hass avocados into the United States arrived on November 6 at Broward County’s Port Everglades. The shipment marks the culmination of years of work by Colombia to gain access to the lucrative U.S. market.

The inaugural shipment of avocados left Cartagena on November 2 aboard Hapag-Lloyd’s Dubai Express bound for the United States, just two months after the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened access for Colombia as a source of the popular fruit.

“We have been actively expanding our perishables market for years, and this is a huge welcome for produce from Colombia,” said Steven Cernak, Chief Executive and Port Director of Port Everglades. “Port Everglades is the leading perishables seaport in Florida with easy access to 19 million consumers in the region.”

Approximately 18 metric tons of avocados were loaded into a cargo container at the Port of Cartagena, Colombia and set sail directly to Port Everglades, Florida. The shipment will be transported by truck to Mission Produce’s distribution center in Atlanta, Georgia.

“We celebrate this major achievement of the commercial relations between the United States and Colombia,” said Juan Barrera, Executive Director, U.S. Agribusiness, PROCOLOMBIA. “Today marks a historical event for Colombian agriculture and we are excited of the years to come.”

Tags: Port Everglades