US: 2021 organic apple and pear import program kicks off This year Bridges Produce celebrates 15 years of importing organic apples and pears from South America. “We have grown our Southern Hemisphere apple and pear program steadily for 15 years now. Working with reliable partners and staying consistent through the years has helped develop dependable supplies of quality fruit that can be programmed throughout the season,” said Bridges Produce President Ben Johnson. Since the import program started 15 years ago, the program has grown in volume and now includes shipper partners from Chile and New Zealand as well as Argentina. Bridges’ program saw its first arrival mid-February into Vineland, NJ, and expects product to start arriving on the West Coast at the beginning of March. The company is once again going to be bringing product directly into the West Coast. “For the last few years, our arrivals have been East coast only, but having product arriving directly into Los Angeles allows us to provide more timely and consistent service to our West Coast customer base,” says Johnson.