Ito Packing Co. has made its mark with 50 years of innovation
Ito Packing Co. has made its mark with 50 years of innovation
REEDLEY, CA -- It was in the spring of 1955, half a century ago this year, that Jim Ito and his wife, Yukiko Ito, started a small tree fruit packing operation here with fruit from their own 14-acre ranch as well as some of their neighbors.
It began with a hand-packing operation off "a little belt," Yukiko Ito told The Produce News in a recent interview. They were what was known at the time as "shade tree packers," she said, and the workers visually graded and sized the fruit as they picked it off the belt.
That was the beginning of Ito Packing Co. Inc., which has grown to become one of the larger fruit-packing operations in central California. The company's packing and cold storage facility now comprises about 10 acres under roof, while the farming operation, which started with 14 acres and added another 10-acre ranch the next year, now encompasses more than 4,500 acres.
The first year or two, the company packed "peaches, plums and a few nectarines," Ms. Ito said. "I know we used to pack Babcocks," a once-popular peach variety, as well as "a green-colored nectarine." Early on, the Itos began packing grapes as well.
Today, Ito Packing packs and markets a wide assortment of fruit including cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, Pluots, grapes, blueberries, oranges, Hachiya persimmons, Fuyu persimmons, quince, chestnuts, pomegranates and apples, according to the founders' oldest son, Craig Ito, 55, who became president of the company after his father died in 2000.
Craig Ito started working in the family business part time when he was in third grade. His father "had me padding boxes" back then, he recalled. He began working full time for the company following graduation from college in 1979.
Also currently involved in the business, Craig Ito said, are his brother, Tracy Ito, who runs field operations; his sister, Janet Kamada, who is involved in management, human resources and payroll; his brother-in-law, David Kamada, who is in charge of information systems and materials management; and his wife, Stephanie Ito, who handles receivables. At 83, his mother also continues to be active in the business.
Although Ito Packing grew from its small beginnings to become a major factor in the California fruit industry, it made its mark on the industry due not to its size so much as to its success as an innovator, particularly through the introduction of new and unique fruit varieties.
"We have always been known for innovative, progressive good varieties," Mr. Ito said.
Perhaps the most important benchmark in the company's history was the introduction of the proprietary Red Jim nectarine, according to Ms. Ito. "We practically controlled the nectarine market there for a while, early on," due to the popularity of that variety and others derived from it, she said.
Mr. Ito recalled how the Red Jim nectarine came into being. "We were picking some yellow nectarines, and a field man found a red sport nectarine," he said.
The exterior color of natural sport was fully red, and they knew that it had the potential to be a sensational variety, so they marked the tree that had produced the red nectarines so they could propagate the variety.
Then they had second thoughts about marking the tree and decided instead to move the marker "two trees over," Mr. Ito said. It was a wise decision, because sure enough, "somebody stole the wood off of that tree."
One can imagine the thief's chagrin when the trees he spliced with the purloined cuttings continued to produce the same old yellow nectarines.
Meanwhile, "we started propagating that, and we patented it," Mr. Ito said. It was named Red Jim for his father. Ito Packing then began working with Bill Taylor, a fruit breeder and propagator who developed a family of proprietary red nectarines from the original Red Jim variety. "We had May Jim, King Jim, Big Jim, Early Red Jim, Late Red Jim, Prince Jim, Prince Jim II and III," Mr. Ito said. "We still grow Late Red Jim and Prince Jim I and III. Ito Packing had success also with proprietary grape varieties, most notably the Rose Ito, a red grape variety introduced in the late 1960s when the black Emperor was the primary colored grape variety for the fresh market.
Today, Ito Packing continues to put a lot of emphasis on fruit varieties with unique characteristics, including several varieties that are proprietary but not necessarily exclusive to Ito.
"We're the largest packer of Saturn peaches," Mr. Ito said. The Saturn is a white-flesh peach with a flattened saucer shape that Ito Packing markets under the "UFO" brand, short for "Unique Fruit Orb."
Quality is a major focus for the company, according to Mr. Ito, a concept he said that he learned from his father. "When my dad would ship fruit to the terminal market, he would go to the market and see that other people would get a premium for their fruit." He inquired why and learned that the premium was given because the fruit was of a higher quality, so he resolved to make Ito Packing a quality operation so it could get premium prices for all its products.
"He said we always want to pack a good box" and be "a quality shipper," said the founder's son.
Looking to the future, Mr. Ito sees growth for the company in several areas. "The cherry business continues to grow," particularly in the Brooks and Tulare varieties, he said. Retailers are promoting early cherry varieties more than ever before, he said. The company has plans to expand its cherry packingline.
Blueberry production will increase also, as will quince production, he said.
Ito Packing will also be expanding its citrus program and is getting into the farming side of citrus.
"We're planting a few varieties of oranges," Mr. Ito said. Involvement in citrus helps keep the operation going through the winter season. Also, citrus is a natural extension for the company, since it is a good export item for Japan and Ito Packing is already doing a significant business with cherry exports to Japan.
It began with a hand-packing operation off "a little belt," Yukiko Ito told The Produce News in a recent interview. They were what was known at the time as "shade tree packers," she said, and the workers visually graded and sized the fruit as they picked it off the belt.
That was the beginning of Ito Packing Co. Inc., which has grown to become one of the larger fruit-packing operations in central California. The company's packing and cold storage facility now comprises about 10 acres under roof, while the farming operation, which started with 14 acres and added another 10-acre ranch the next year, now encompasses more than 4,500 acres.
The first year or two, the company packed "peaches, plums and a few nectarines," Ms. Ito said. "I know we used to pack Babcocks," a once-popular peach variety, as well as "a green-colored nectarine." Early on, the Itos began packing grapes as well.
Today, Ito Packing packs and markets a wide assortment of fruit including cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, Pluots, grapes, blueberries, oranges, Hachiya persimmons, Fuyu persimmons, quince, chestnuts, pomegranates and apples, according to the founders' oldest son, Craig Ito, 55, who became president of the company after his father died in 2000.
Craig Ito started working in the family business part time when he was in third grade. His father "had me padding boxes" back then, he recalled. He began working full time for the company following graduation from college in 1979.
Also currently involved in the business, Craig Ito said, are his brother, Tracy Ito, who runs field operations; his sister, Janet Kamada, who is involved in management, human resources and payroll; his brother-in-law, David Kamada, who is in charge of information systems and materials management; and his wife, Stephanie Ito, who handles receivables. At 83, his mother also continues to be active in the business.
Although Ito Packing grew from its small beginnings to become a major factor in the California fruit industry, it made its mark on the industry due not to its size so much as to its success as an innovator, particularly through the introduction of new and unique fruit varieties.
"We have always been known for innovative, progressive good varieties," Mr. Ito said.
Perhaps the most important benchmark in the company's history was the introduction of the proprietary Red Jim nectarine, according to Ms. Ito. "We practically controlled the nectarine market there for a while, early on," due to the popularity of that variety and others derived from it, she said.
Mr. Ito recalled how the Red Jim nectarine came into being. "We were picking some yellow nectarines, and a field man found a red sport nectarine," he said.
The exterior color of natural sport was fully red, and they knew that it had the potential to be a sensational variety, so they marked the tree that had produced the red nectarines so they could propagate the variety.
Then they had second thoughts about marking the tree and decided instead to move the marker "two trees over," Mr. Ito said. It was a wise decision, because sure enough, "somebody stole the wood off of that tree."
One can imagine the thief's chagrin when the trees he spliced with the purloined cuttings continued to produce the same old yellow nectarines.
Meanwhile, "we started propagating that, and we patented it," Mr. Ito said. It was named Red Jim for his father. Ito Packing then began working with Bill Taylor, a fruit breeder and propagator who developed a family of proprietary red nectarines from the original Red Jim variety. "We had May Jim, King Jim, Big Jim, Early Red Jim, Late Red Jim, Prince Jim, Prince Jim II and III," Mr. Ito said. "We still grow Late Red Jim and Prince Jim I and III. Ito Packing had success also with proprietary grape varieties, most notably the Rose Ito, a red grape variety introduced in the late 1960s when the black Emperor was the primary colored grape variety for the fresh market.
Today, Ito Packing continues to put a lot of emphasis on fruit varieties with unique characteristics, including several varieties that are proprietary but not necessarily exclusive to Ito.
"We're the largest packer of Saturn peaches," Mr. Ito said. The Saturn is a white-flesh peach with a flattened saucer shape that Ito Packing markets under the "UFO" brand, short for "Unique Fruit Orb."
Quality is a major focus for the company, according to Mr. Ito, a concept he said that he learned from his father. "When my dad would ship fruit to the terminal market, he would go to the market and see that other people would get a premium for their fruit." He inquired why and learned that the premium was given because the fruit was of a higher quality, so he resolved to make Ito Packing a quality operation so it could get premium prices for all its products.
"He said we always want to pack a good box" and be "a quality shipper," said the founder's son.
Looking to the future, Mr. Ito sees growth for the company in several areas. "The cherry business continues to grow," particularly in the Brooks and Tulare varieties, he said. Retailers are promoting early cherry varieties more than ever before, he said. The company has plans to expand its cherry packingline.
Blueberry production will increase also, as will quince production, he said.
Ito Packing will also be expanding its citrus program and is getting into the farming side of citrus.
"We're planting a few varieties of oranges," Mr. Ito said. Involvement in citrus helps keep the operation going through the winter season. Also, citrus is a natural extension for the company, since it is a good export item for Japan and Ito Packing is already doing a significant business with cherry exports to Japan.
