Georgia Peaches Back in Mexican Market After 27 Years Thanks to Locally Grown Technology 

Mexican Consul General Javier Diaz de Leon likes to illustrate the integrated industrial trade between Mexico and Georgia by saying that it consists of much more than tequila and peaches. 

But since 1994 — the same year NAFTA was enacted — Georgia’s iconic fruit has seen its prospects in Mexico restricted by phytosanitary rules that have made compliance so costly that growers saw the market as effectively closed. 

The last peach shipment from Georgia to Mexico cleared the border 27 years ago, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. 

That changed in June as a shipment of 42,000 pounds of peaches —a volume greater than what Mexico imported in 2024 from the entire world — crossed the border, thanks to a new treatment technology developed by a Georgia-based company. 

Reveam, based in Norcross, in 2022 received USDA approval for a process known as Electronic Cold-Pasteurization, or ECP, paving the way for peaches from Genuine Georgia, a brand representing some of the top farms in the state, to penetrate the Mexican market. 

With ECP, a blast of electrons kills pests and pathogens in a way that meets Mexican requirements, all without the application of heat or chemicals.

Crucially, the treatment is completed after the fruit is packaged for shipment and as it runs along fast-moving conveyor belts in a high-tech packing facility. That removes a headache previously voiced by growers seeking to export their produce — the need to sequester product destined for international markets.

Last year, Reveam opened a new ECP facility in McAllen, Texas, boosting throughput to the point where it could handle higher volumes, with growers now reaping the benefit of a pool of consumers now reachable by truck.  

“There are a lot of peach eaters in Mexico, and a lot of them would love to have those Georgia peaches,” said Duke Lane, president of the Georgia Peach Council, in a news release issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. “To give you a perspective of how many potential peach eaters are down there, you’ve got 22 million people in Mexico City and the surrounding areas. All of a sudden, we’re now bringing on another 20-plus million customers.”

While Georgia is well-known as the Peach State, in production it lags neighboring South Carolina and perennial juggernaut California, which offers unrivaled scale when it comes to growing the fuzzy fruit. 

Other commodities like blueberries, blackberries — even pine straw — have surpassed peaches in market value in Georgia, despite their symbolic resonance in the state. 

Still, having a new pool of customers internationally increases options for Georgia growers, whose orchards are consistently threatened by weather events like a 2023 freeze that contributed to peach sales value falling by 75 percent to $20 million that year, says Ben Campbell, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“It does give us a chance to compete — if you increase market access, that allows you to do more shopping around for prices or to have some other opportunities compared to taking what’s left over,” Dr. Campbell told Global Atlanta. 

He added that with Mexico as a potential outlet, Georgia growers could shoot for “off-cycle” sales at the front or back end of peak season.

“If California is hitting Mexico or somewhere else right now, we may try to beat them to market with an earlier variety or go through late when their supply runs out,” he said. 

Greater flexibility in the demand side could also boost output by encouraging growers to take a chance on the long-term investment in new orchards, he added. 

For Reveam, which rebranded from the former Scan-Tech in 2022, the latest announcement illustrates the potential of its technology to “transform what’s possible” for agriculture in the Southeast, Co-founder and Chief Regulatory Officer Chip Starns said in the news release. 

“Our ECP technology is giving Georgia growers the opportunity to reach new consumers, reduce waste, and meet the most rigorous international standards while allowing residents of Mexico to enjoy the finest peaches in the world without compromising freshness or flavor.”

Next up for the company: Working with PortMiami, Mandich Group and Cold-Link Logistics to develop another ECP center in the south Florida city known for its extensive cold-chain infrastructure and produce trade with Latin America. That facility, which broke ground this week, is set to open in the fourth quarter of 2026. 

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, who announced the latest peach shipment (and for whom Reveam’s Mr. Starns helped lead the post-election transition team), said that the company is still considering opening a similar outpost in Savannah: 

A Georgia facility remains an integral part of Reveam’s long-term growth plans and will be a great asset for Georgia farmers looking to compete in new markets.

The breakthrough for peaches comes at a fraught time for U.S.-Mexico trade, as President Donald Trump leverages tariff threats to push Mexico toward further action on immigration and the fentanyl trade. 

While the automotive industry has been a point of contention, more recently produce has been in the crosshairs, with Mr. Trump threatening a 17 percent tariff on tomatoes in addition to a broader 30 percent levy. The move is seen as a nod to domestic growers, largely concentrated in Florida.