Mission Produce Inc., a company that sources, produces and distributes fresh Hass avocados, held the grand opening of its new $50 million mega distribution center in Laredo, Texas. On Sept. 29, in coordination with the offices of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and City of Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz, Mission held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate.
The event was held in celebration of the company’s first anniversary of its initial public offering on Oct. 1
Serving as a major hub for avocados coming from Mexico into the U.S., the 262,000-square-foot facility is positioned to funnel product into the rest of the distribution centers in Mission’s advanced network. The facility is designed with state-of-the-art refrigeration, ripening rooms and pallet cooling capabilities, and has the capability to provide logistics support and transportation services in addition to cold storage, bagging operations and packing for external enterprises. This will generate additional revenue and value for the company.
Mission’s Laredo mega center will strengthen the company’s advantage in the avocado sector and is expected to increase its third-party storage and distribution capabilities for others in the produce industry, increase access throughout North America and expedite transportation times.
“Our new facility in Laredo opens up many doors for us at Mission,” said Steve Barnard, Mission’s CEO and founder. “The strategic location serves as the perfect connection between our operations in Mexico and our customers in the U.S. We are excited about our work in Laredo and are proud to contribute to the local community, continue to lead in the avocado industry and serve the produce industry through our enhanced infrastructure and capabilities.”
Mission has already filled 70 new positions to staff the facility and is expected to reach 110 once at full capacity. The company’s move has contributed to rapid economic growth in Laredo as the area sees an influx of business investments, specifically from the produce and cold storage industry.
Since Mission’s announcement of the distribution center, more than 450 produce or cold storage-related jobs have been added to the Laredo market and the community has seen a total investment of approximately $120 million.
“Mission’s facility has proven to be the linchpin for over a hundred million dollars in new investment for the Laredo area,” said Saenz. “Firms from California, Canada and Mexico have announced new investments in Laredo, with several others in the works, and the trend has put Laredo on the map as a major player in the industry. We are pleased to work with excellent partners like Mission Produce that provide good-paying, high-quality jobs, while shoring up the tax base for Laredo.”
Last year, of the $4.2 billion of produce imported through Laredo World Trade Port of Entry, nearly $1 billion was from avocados. In 2020, $4.5 billion of produce was imported across the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, which connects the U.S. and Mexico, and is a secondary port of entry for the company. Mission’s Laredo operations are expected to stimulate more Pharr Bridge crossings, generating additional income for the city. One hundred new crossings per week would raise an estimated $114,000 per year in bridge tolls – or $1.14 million in 10 years.
“The Laredo facility was built for the future – we are ready to capitalize on the value the facility is expected to bring to our business and the industry with the significant volume moving through the city,” said Barnard. “We’ve succeeded with this model in several of our other facilities by leveraging the space to effectively provide additional revenue for our business, and our Laredo operations are expected to continue to grow. We aim to propel the industry forward by leveraging our mega center at one of the nation’s busiest ports.”
