Grupo Tarahumara , a company specializing in the marketing of fine fruits and vegetables, said that the growing demand for these products in Mexico has challenges such as maintaining the cold chain and having the units for their transportation.
Karla Morán, the company’s general manager, mentioned that 90% of the products it imports are transported via road transport, through alliances with transport lines.
In an interview with T21, he explained that Grupo Tarahumara uses 600 units per month , equipment that must have a refrigeration system to ensure the cold chain, therefore, it is key that companies have a preventive maintenance log to avoid failures along the way.
However, he said that the total transportation is insufficient to meet the company’s growth expectations, and that they will therefore work on signing more alliances.
“We are making commercial agreements with secure lines to improve capacity, we are looking for a win-win, where we give them the confidence that we will contract the service consistently and with timely payment and that guarantees that we will have the units and thus we can demand improvements such as refrigeration equipment and be able to have alliances and a common process to have a greater guarantee that the product we bring arrives well preserved,” he said.
He explained that future growth requires increasing the fleet by 10%, which would allow for greater capacity and meeting demand.
He said that this year logistics operations grew by 24% , which also meant an increase in installed capacity and strengthening alliances with key components of the chain.
He explained that more than 60% of imported products are moved by land and the rest by sea. “We bet on being large and strong distributors of imported merchandise to Mexico, without ceasing to work in key national seasons such as the national apple from Chihuahua, the grape from Sonora for consumption in the country, and also in distribution, although we bring fruit, what we sell is service , of taking the product to where it is requested with the greatest agility, optimization and above all taking care of the cold chain,” he said.
He explained that the company specializes in the movement of apples, pears, grapes, apricots, plums, kiwis, strawberries and other vegetables . “We try to have the product all year round and for that we have to go to the origins, depending on how the national and international production windows are opening, for example, we bring apples and pears from Washington and other fruits from California,” he said.
He indicated that although the United States is the main country where they import products, they also import from South America, mainly from Chile and Peru, and also from Italy and South Africa. The routes are through Mexicali and Nogales, as well as Manzanillo and Veracruz.
Grupo Tarahumara is in the process of building a new plant that will feature modern storage systems and advanced refrigeration . This new project will comprehensively improve cold chain management by integrating sustainable technologies, such as solar panels and automated processes, contributing to a reduction in the carbon footprint and operating costs in the long term.
In this sense, through CHEP , it provides innovative solutions to transform the management of your supply chain , reducing the risk of damage and loss of products, adapting to fluctuations in demand and improving the capacity to respond to interruptions.
Karla Morán pointed out that it is not only about preserving the temperature of the products, but also about ensuring that they arrive safely, and through the wooden pallets of this company, it is guaranteed that the merchandise is safe, unloading times are met, and sustainable packaging.
“We know that this is a big challenge because consumers are not willing to pay more for this type of packaging, but we have incorporated it and for us it has added value and is linked to our safety policy and also to environmental responsibility,” he said.
By 2025, he said, Grupo Tarahumara will work on distribution and logistics, but also on improving the automation of certain purchasing, marketing and inventory management processes, as well as incorporating more Artificial Intelligence, the collaboration of key partners and training to achieve sustained growth aimed at “offering services and products of the highest quality.”
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