Born Farms to fill Brussels sprouts gap during critical holiday season

Natus Foods, a Houston-based importer of vegetables from Mexico and Central America, announced the availability of premium Brussels sprouts from October to February.

The Brussels sprouts, which are grown by Born Farms, are available in a variety of pack styles to suit any retail or foodservice use, and will help fill the high demand that typically occurs during the holiday season.

“We grow these Brussels sprouts in a critical window when supply is always very low,” said Christopher Safieh, vice president of Natus Foods. “This is the time between the domestic crop finishing and the crop from Mexico starting, and they are strategically planted to fill the need for a quality product during these key months.”

Safieh said they are specifically grown at a higher altitude (8,000 to 10,000 feet) in the mountains of Guatemala since the higher altitudes provide conditions that are ideal for growing the Brussels sprouts. The Brussels sprouts are harvested by hand to protect the overall condition of the sprouts. They are then delivered to the production facility, where they are hand-peeled, trimmed, washed and packaged.

“Reducing the time between harvest and packaging is critical to maintaining a consistent level of quality,” said Safieh.

When compared to the more traditional Brussels sprouts, this variety has tighter wrapped leaves that hold together better during the cooking process. They also have a much sweeter flavor and more tender texture than typical Brussels sprouts. Additionally, they can be taken straight from the bag to the oven, eliminating as much as 46 percent in the costs associated for on-site preparation.

Natus Foods is currently booking orders from this year’s crop for customers that want to ensure they will have product during the critical months of November, December and January.

Born Farms products are grown by Unispice in the mountains of Guatemala and shipped to customers around the world. In addition to Brussels sprouts, Unispice specializes in growing French beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, baby peeled carrots with tops, baby corn and baby broccoli. The company is dedicated to creating custom solutions where customers benefit from products with a longer shelf-life and reduced shrink.

For more information, please email [email protected].