CFI Logistics Specializes in Organic Perishables

CFI Logistics touts itself as the “largest perishable food hauler” in the United States, handling any item that has a temperature requirement.

Todd Patrick, regional operations manager for the firm, recently discussed with OPN the company’s involvement with fresh produce, which has led it to be a sponsor or the upcoming Organic Growers Summit. “We are HAACP and Primus certified and also are certified for hauling and handling organic produce,” he said.

He said the company is more than just a provider of transportation, but rather works with shippers and exporters to handle all of their logistics needs as a solutions provider, including provide ground and air transportation, warehousing and intermodal shipments. The firm has 14 offices in the United States, including one on the West Coast and five in the Hawaiian Islands. They consider themselves specialists in handling exports especially to Asia and Middle East. But they also have an operation in Mexico that provides intra-Mexico and cross-border services. The company started in Joplin, MO, in 1951 with two trucks and now has more than 2,000 trucks on the road throughout North America.

While CFI handles many different perishable food items, Patrick said the majority of shipments that originate in California and that are shipped overseas through in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California are fresh produce. He said about 40 percent of that volume is shipped via air. The company helps shippers export many different fresh produce items but Patrick put lettuce, asparagus, grapes and strawberries at the top of the list. He noted a few recent fresh produce shipments the company was involved in including strawberries to Germany and many different items to Anchorage, Alaska.

He said most fresh produce shippers tend to deliver the product to a CFI facility to be made ready for export, as the firm handles all that is involved in getting a fresh produce item ready for export. The company can also provide pick-up service from packing facilities.

Patrick said the export of organic produce is an area of growth as consumption in this sector is increasing all over the world. He noted that handling organic produce through its facilities does require, by regulation, that it be segregated from non-organic items, but other than that, the logistics are similar to any other product handled by CFI. He added that air freight is used by the majority of the firm’s organic export shipments. He estimated growth in that sector at about 15 percent year over year. “We continue to grow all sectors of our business and we are also seeing more imports from other countries.”

He did say that the current political situation, which has seen the imposition of tariffs on both product imported into the United States and exported from the U.S., has impacted sales for CFI, and has not been beneficial for producers. At this writing, he said the impact was greater on non-fresh produce agricultural products such as meats and grains from the Midwest.

In general, Patrick said that while the cost of transporting fresh produce will continue to rise, as does everything else, he noted that current air freight capacity is plentiful. Fresh produce is shipped both on passenger and cargo planes, but he said there is more flexibility in pricing on passenger planes because the airlines are making their money on passengers and the passenger’s luggage.