After more than a year of negotiations, Baker Packing Co. and Murakami Produce Co. LLC, two of the largest-volume onion shippers in the Treasure Valley, have announced they are merging their Ontario, OR, companies to form Baker & Murakami Produce Co. LLLP effective July 1.

On Feb. 23 Baker President Steve Baker, along with his father, Jerry, who is company chief executive officer, joined Grant Kitamura, managing member of Murakami Produce, in making the announcement. The new company, they said, will be a “supershed” in the Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion region.Members of the newly formed Baker & Murakami Produce Co. are Grant Kitamura, managing member of Murakami Produce; Chris Woo, owner member of Murakami Produce Co. and Idaho/Oregon sales manager for Potandon Produce; Jerry Baker, CEO of Baker Packing; and Steve Baker, president of Baker Packing. Photo courtesy of Baker & Murakami Produce Co.

That term “supershed” will be used on packaging as well as in promotions, the men said. And to handle the increased volume, work has begun on a new 20,000-square foot floor and shipping area, bringing the total packing and shipping area for Baker & Murakami Produce Co. to 68,000 square feet.

In addition to the new facility, installation of state-of-the-art grading and sorting equipment will take place at an existing Baker facility this summer.

Steve Baker said the merger, as well as the equipment upgrade, will have far-reaching benefits.

“This merger will have a positive impact on our growers and our customers,” he said. “With the installation of our new high-volume grading and packing equipment, we will be able to service both our growers and our customers better than before, and we will also be able to improve our loading time for truckers.”

Kitamura said the joining of forces with Baker Packing Co. is in line with their common goals and business practices.

Murakami, which entered into a joint venture with Potandon Produce more than a decade ago, expanded in 2014 when Murakami Growers LLC purchased a portion of the operation and committed their crops to its annual volume.

Baker Packing has long been a year-round shipper, sourcing onions from other growing regions.

“Baker Packing and Murakami Produce have been successfully packing and marketing onions from the Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion growing region for many years,” Kitamura said. “In an ever-changing business environment, it was refreshing for me to find a competitor that shared the same business philosophies and a common vision for the future. I have a tremendous amount of pride and pleasure in knowing we are investing together to form a business of perpetuity for our growers and customers.”

Part of Murakami since 1980 and himself from an onion-farming family, Kitamura has often said that onions are in his blood. His brother, Larry, is one of the growers in Murakami Growers LLC.

Founded in the late 1960s by the late Sig Murakami as the packing and shipping arm of Murakami Farms, Murakami Produce began commercially packing and shipping for growers throughout the region when Sig ceased his farming operations in 1983.

Baker, too, has a solid history in the area. Before Jerry and Steve Baker formed Baker Packing in 1997, they were part of the DeBruyn Produce Co. Jerry Baker launched an onion division for DeBruyn in 1972, bringing several years of experience to the job at that time. He shipped onions out of an old 7,200-square foot warehouse where Baker Packing now sits. Steve joined him in 1984, and the two continued that operation until they bought the company and started Baker Packing.

As the 2016-17 shipping season continues and the Treasure Valley looks forward to drying fields and planting, Baker & Murakami Produce Co. is gearing up for its inaugural season. Steve Baker spoke for the group and said, “We are all very excited as this new venture will be a game changer here in the Treasure Valley… [and] will allow us to better serve our customers and help develop a larger market share in the near future.”