“For the more climate-sensitive crops, we have established partnerships with growers in South Baja, Mexico, in an effort to keep our valued customers supplied on a year-round basis,” Hiltner said.
As of the end of August, 2024 has shaped up to be a huge year for Babé Farms.
“We have been breaking sales records with each month, and even the summer, which is typically a slower season for us, has been a busy one,” Hiltner said. “We are hopeful to sustain this growth throughout the end of the year and into next year.”
An exciting recent development was the launch of the company’s new Pink Rhône Little Gem Lettuce.
“The first of its kind, Pink Rhône boasts qualities similar to Little Gem, including a sweet crunch, mild buttery flavor and glossy texture,” Hiltner said. “Its appearance, however, resembles more of a European style lettuce — petite in size with loose outer leaves and a tightly enveloped core. What truly sets the Rhône apart is its intense pink color, which extends all the way to the core, ranging from wine-red to light-magenta.”
The Pink Rhône Little Gem will be on display at IFPA Global Expo at booth No. B849 and in the Fresh Ideas Showcase.
Babé Farms’ customer base largely consists of foodservice distributors with a sprinkling of select, high-end retailers as well.
“With our line of specialty vegetables, we find this is the right balance for us,” Hiltner said. “The best way to forge strong partnerships with customers is open communication. In an age where orders are mostly placed via email, our sales team makes it a point to get on the phone with customers frequently to help nurture those personal relationships and eliminate any miscommunication that can sometimes arise in email chains.”
In addition, the company does its best to support customers by meeting with their sales teams for educational sessions and even riding along with them to visit chefs, showcase its products and answer questions.
“Having that face-to-face interaction with our end-users is vital in fostering brand loyalty,” Hiltner said.
Babé Farms utilizes social media as a means of educating its buyers and end-users with the goal to inspire creativity with beautiful imagery showcasing the colorful variety of specialty vegetables available.
“In addition to photography, we have hopped on the Instagram reel trend to show our products in action, displaying potential uses and recipes,” Hiltner said. “For example, we recently shared a reel where we collaborated with a local chef, Kean McCabe of Earth and Oven. Chef Kean featured our new Pink Rhône Little Gem in a summer salad. The video can be found at www.babefarms.com/videos/recipe-videos/pink-rhone-little-gem-salad.”
