Homegrown Organic Farms is set to celebrate the first anniversary of its new facility in early May. The company is located in Porterville, CA, and the new facility occupies 28 acres west of Highway 99 in Kingsburg, CA.

“Its location will enhance logistical efficiencies and improve customer service through ease of access for transportation,” Marketing Manager Cherie France told The Produce News.

Homegrown is a producer and supplier of a host of fresh organic fruits and vegetables. The company was one of the first to move organic California blueberries to the marketplace.

The Kingsburg facility encompasses over 50,000 square feet of cold storage and 37,500 square feet of pack line area. “The 50,000 square feet of refrigerated space is separated across three structures that total five independent rooms,” France commented. “Due to the size and flexibility of the cold storage space, Homegrown will offer consolidation services to its customers as an opportunity to help manage their organic programs.”

The purchase of the Kingsburg facility was important to Homegrown for three reasons: people, efficiency and growth. “A big part of this decision was made to help solidify and improve the livelihood of the people that we employ in our packing operations,” she went on to say. “Seasonal work is difficult to manage for us and our team members. This facility will allow us to provide year-round work for our packing team members, which will improve their lives and the people that depend on them. Secondly, significant efficiencies in energy and resource management will be realized by consolidating packing, cooling, quality control and shipping under one roof. And last, but not least, is the reality of our coming growth. Our development in blueberries, citrus and tree fruit over the next five years demands a change. We know this will have a marked impact on our business and ultimately our customers. We are excited about what the future holds for Homegrown and our valued team members.”

According to France, signs point to another successful California blueberry season with 2014 volume surpassing 2013. “So far, field reports have shown our field-to-market farming techniques have paid off and will continue to prove true this year,” she said. “Early-season harvest has already begun and is gaining momentum in California. We’ll continue with our California fruit through June when we will transition to our Oregon and Washington ranches, which will close out the summer season.”

California’s water situation has been much discussed by the agricultural community.

“The water crisis is just as big an issue for blueberry growers as it is for anyone else in farming,” France noted. “We’ve made great strides to take care of the resources we do have and use methods such as drip-irrigation and weed-matting to increasing water efficiency on underlying drip irrigation systems by reducing water loss associated with evaporation and locking in moisture between the soil and the mat.”

Blues are moved under the company’s flagship “Homegrown Organic Farms” label to customers in North America. “A new addition to this season’s label is a QR code to allow consumers a direct connection with their grower,” France stated. “This has been a long-standing commitment for Homegrown to bridge the gap between consumers and their farmers, and we’re excited to bring them one step closer through the use of the QR code on our labels.”

Demand for organic blues continues to increase among consumers, and France provided some insights about marketplace dynamics. “With many of the noted health benefits these delicious blue gems can offer, it seems that supply will have a hard time keeping up with demand over the next few years,” she observed. “We hope to be able to grow with that demand and continue providing outstanding quality organic blueberries to customers across North America.”