Besides its current fresh produce line, representatives for The Chuck Olsen Co. Inc., headquartered in Visalia, CA, will be promoting the company’s unique consolidation services at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference & Exposition in Monterey, CA, July 20-22.

Jeff Olsen and Tom Salisbury of the Chuck Olsen Co. promoted the firm’s line of products at the 2011 PMA Foodservice show. (Photo by John Groh)“We are currently consolidating at the Andy Smith Company in Salinas, California,” Jeff Olsen, vice president of Chuck Olsen Co. told The Produce News. “This facility is where we stage shipping of all of our products that are grown in the Central Valley of the state — mainly stone fruits, grapes, melons, citrus fruits and peppers — for ease of logistics. Our consolidation services enable us to bring fruits and vegetables together to provide a one-stop, one-dock service to our customers.”

Besides Mr. Olsen, his father, Chuck Olsen, president of the company, along with Dave Perez and Tom Salisbury, sales representatives, will be at the PMA show representing the company at its booth this year.

Mr. Olsen explained that once all vegetable production has moved from California to Yuma, AZ, the company switches its consolidation services to Indio, CA.

“We consolidate in Indio from around Thanksgiving until mid-April, and then we switch back to Salinas,” he said.

He said that about 35 percent of the company’s business is in the foodservice category, noting that year-round consolidation services are important to operations that need year-round consistency. The company’s foodservice customers range from quick-serve to high-end dining establishments, and it is able to provide each with the range of products in packaging options that they need. It distributes across the United States, into Canada and Mexico, and it exports to offshore countries in Asia.

“It’s an advantage that we are totally integrated as a grower, packer and shipper,” said Mr. Olsen. “This gives us the ability to control every aspect of the fresh produce movement for our customers.”

Being totally integrated gives the company the added advantage of providing package sizes or counts that each customer needs.

“We’ll do just about anything for our customers when it comes to packaging,” said Mr. Olsen. “Be it five-, 10-pound or other weight needs, or we’ll pack by the count, with lemons, as an example. We are highly service-oriented, and we will accommodate our clients in any way possible.”

Mr. Olsen said he thinks there is a definite uptick in the restaurant business, but added that the company has not experienced a particularly bad drop in business since the economic crisis began.

“Things have been pretty steady from our vantage point,” he said. “Our foodservice customers seem to be in decent shape. People still like to go out to eat occasionally, even if it means cutting back in other expenses. And now with fuel prices lower than we’ve seen in a while, consumers are additionally inspired to enjoy meals outside of their homes.”

The company is a fourth-generation grower, packer and shipper. It was founded in 1910 in the San Joaquin Valley. It handles a full line of citrus, including Navel oranges, lemons, Valencia oranges, clementines, grapefruit and limes on a year-round basis. It also handles melons, a year-round supply of table grapes, a full line of tree fruits and a wide variety of fresh vegetables.

Mr. Olsen said that food safety is as major a topic on the foodservice level as it is on the retail level, and the company is on the cutting edge in the food-safety and traceability certifications it holds.

“We stay up-to-date on every certification program, including Global Good Agricultural Practices, and we’re doing all the right things,” he said.