Index Fresh in an expansive mood

Over the past several months, California-based Index Fresh Inc. has added a few new employees, promoted several others, contracted with a new advertising agency, launched a new ad campaign and will soon be rolling out a new website. The company also launched a new graphically-pleasing carton designed specifically to tout fruit grown in California.

President Dana Thomas said all of this activity is not without reason. “The impetus for the new hires and ad campaign is growth,” he said. “We continue to grow and as we grow we have more resources available. This does signify a new direction. We see the need to increase our trade advertising and our marketing effort with our customers.”

At the same time, Thomas said the company is doing more outreach with growers to increase its volume while at the same time maintaining and improving the quality of the fruit the firm ships.

Dana Thomas“We have conducted grower seminars and put them on DVD so other growers can view them when they can,” he said. “We are expanding this program.”

He said the latest seminar featured several Israeli scientists talking about pests that are impacting California’s avocado crop.

While all this activity has resulted in increased volume, Thomas said the firm is not motivated by increasing its market share relative to other marketers.

“But I do want to have a critical mass to be able to provide good solid programs for our quality customers,” he added.

Thomas said the new California-specific carton is a fancy white box with a color graphic featuring a painting of a California coastal orchard. “We are very excited about it,” he said.

The company’s new website will be launched in August and is designed for better communications with its growers, customers and consumers.

Index Fresh, which is a California-owned grower cooperative, markets avocados 12 months of the year representing fruit from California, Mexico, Chile and Peru.

“We endeavor to have consistent weekly volume and we are growing,” he said. “If I had ‘X’ fruit this week last year, I want ‘X plus 10 or 15 percent’ this year.”

From Mexico, the firm imports fruit from Michoacán and Thomas said they are poised to add Jalisco packing sheds to their line-up once that state’s packers receive final certification to pack avocdos destined for the U.S. market.

With regard to the firm’s relatively new hires, longtime Safeway buyer Bill Frank has been added to the firm’s sales desk as was Jessica Chavez, who previously had experience in citrus sales. Belle Yang, who was in Index’s transportation department, has also joined the sales team. Delilah Rivera has been promoted to a position where she is working directly with growers to make sure the firm’s supply matches its demand. Lorena Dominquez, who was in accounting, completed a training program for customs house brokers and subsequently was put in charge of logistics at Index Fresh.

Also in the not so distant past, Sofia Schlapkohl was promoted to marketing and advertising manager.