Demand for produce, both conventional and organic, is still growing. With that also comes an increased need for support during the import process. "Since the onset of Covid, we've continued to grow little by little," says Pat Compres, co-owner of Advance Customs Brokers. The company supports shippers with importing produce into the U.S. from any country around the globe.
Not only has the volume of produce increased, but the import process has become more complex as well. "A big change is the way we now need to declare organics," says Advance Customs Brokers' co-owner Maria Bermudez. The USDA decided it was time for brokers to provide the information on organics to customs. "In the past, we had nothing to do with organics, but now we do the import work for the USDA, which means more data-entry input."
In general, trade has shown an increase in recent years. While last year was an exception due to El Niño impacting yields in South America, things have normalized this year. "Shipping rates have come down to reality and volumes have gone up significant compared to last year," mentioned Bermudez. This is positive news as importers are able to fulfill their commitments.
Collaboration
In line with an increase in demand for Advance Customs Brokers' services, the company has recently started a collaboration with two other customs brokers and logistics companies. "It has allowed us to expand from Miami, Florida into Houston, Philadelphia and California. Just like our customers are expanding their businesses, we want to grow and adapt with them," said Compres. "This effort is about growth in different locations and sectors, so we can continue to build our knowledge and expertise."
The new venture serves to give Advance physical offices in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and New York/New Jersey. "We have done business nationwide for years, serving our customers with the excellence they expect from us principally from our Miami office," said Compres. "With the expanding business, we felt it was time to now have a physical presence in these important ports."
Sophisticated platform
The collaboration also yields the benefit of a more sophisticated customs and logistics platform. "We will be working together to use CargoWise," explains Compres. "It's a fantastic customs and logistics solution – Cutting Edge Technology for customs brokers. It will allow us to serve customers more efficiently and provide them with more accurate statistics and information. We'll be able to provide a portal for documentation, tracking and our customers will have everything at their fingertips with respect to information and statistics."
Prepare for the future
In the end, Bermudez notes, the objective is not only to serve customers now but also to move toward future customer needs. "Business is changing," she says. "The supply chain, logistics and international shipping face a host of challenges we didn't see a decade ago. Just like our customers, our business must adapt to serve new needs. We must be looking forward and build what will work not just now, but in the future."
For more information:
Pat Compres / Maria Bermudez
Advance Customs Brokers
Tel: 786-476-0700
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.advancecustomsbrokers.com