GT USA Wilmington hosted a kick-off meeting to mark the start of the Port’s winter fruit season. With over 50 people attending the Port of Wilmington in person, and a further 30 participating online, the event provided a platform for all partners to discuss any changes for the upcoming season’s program.

Running from December 2021 thru May 2022, the season is a peak time for the South American fruit growers, so to ensure everyone is on the same page is vital to a successful season. During the event presentations were given by key members of GT Wilmington staff from operations, accounting, and safety departments, along with presentations from representatives of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Port Director, Ronald Krempa and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist JaNai King and Global Reefers USA Representative, Harold Cohen.

Commenting on the occasion, Joe Cruise, GT USA Wilmington CEO said “There was definitely an excitement amongst the attendees and an eagerness to get the season underway. We have been very busy throughout this year not only with our usual cargos of bananas, juices, salts etc., but we’ve also been receiving significant amounts of lumber and plywood arriving for local markets, along with the first Clementine vessels of the season from Morocco.” “We, here at the Port of Wilmington, are definitely ready for what we hope is a highly productive and busy six months,” Cruise added.