Southern Specialties Inc., which is based in Pompano Beach, FL, is expecting about a 10 percent increase in its Peruvian asparagus volume this year, fueled by new customers and greater demand for value-added packs.

Summer foodservice business has been better than expected, and it appears as if consumers are once again heading out to restaurants as they did before the recession hit in 2008.

But Tom Travers, general manager of Harvest Sensations in Miami, is very concerned that the newest financial problems, caused by Washington, DC, raising of the debt ceiling, might adversely affect the foodservice sector and result in a decline of Peruvian asparagus sales in that arena. “It’s funny you should ask that question,” he said Aug. 8. “Just at lunch today we were all talking about it.”

On the list of the top 500 Hispanic-owned U.S. companies, The Perishable Specialist, a customs brokerage firm headquartered in Miami, rose to number 351 this year.

“I am very proud of that,” said Frank Ramos, president of the company that he co-owns with his wife, Ana Ramos.

They launched the firm 10 years ago and have enjoyed steady growth ever since. “Counting my wife and I, we now have 17 employees,” said Mr. Ramos. “Through the recession, we haven’t had to lay anyone off and we have continued to grow.”

Harvest Crown, which is headquartered in Bakersfield, CA, has added a Los Angeles office to go along with its Florida division for its Peruvian asparagus deal, as well as for the other fresh produce items that it imports.

Harold Crawford, chief executive officer of the importer-distributor, said that the addition of the Los Angeles office helps the company bring product to both coasts for its nationwide distribution program. The Los Angeles office is managed by Ray Gutierrez with Jan McDaniels assisting in sales. The office opened in April.

Los Angeles based Gourmet Trading Co., a worldwide importer and distributor of fresh fruits and vegetables, is introducing a new product this year from its Peruvian asparagus deal: a tri-color pack that combines green, purple and white asparagus.

Ayco Farms Inc. in Pompano Beach, FL, which already claims to be one of the top-five importers of Peruvian asparagus, expects significant growth this year as a result of a strengthening of its procurement practices.

“We think we will have sustained growth of 25-35 percent this year,” said Peter Warren, who bears the title of asparagus salesperson. “We have changed how we are going about procuring product. And by doing that, we have improved the quality of our pack, and that is going to increase our retail business. It is a cause-and-effect kind of thing.”