Garden Fresh Salad Co. Inc., located at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, MA, specializes in California vegetables, and it handles a full line of value-added prepared products for restaurants, caterers and retailers.

“Our processing plant is located here in Chelsea,” said Patrick Burke, sales and purchasing representative for the company. “We handle pretty much every type of vegetable. The foodservice sector represents the largest customer base for our processed product. We’ve been processing one type of product or another for over 40 years.”

Fruits, he noted, represent about 10 percent of the company’s business, and the remainder are vegetables. The top processed items are lettuces, coleslaw and diced or peeled onions.

Burke said that the company’s foodservice business has remained steady and consistent, despite the economy during the past few years.

John Whitney, sales representative at Garden Fresh Salad Co., shows off heirloom tomatoes.“We did not feel a big drop,” he said. “We have noticed that our customers, as well as consumers, are choosier about the product they buy today in that they want consistently high quality. Buyers and consumers alike are buying closer to the chest, and they are wasting less. But today we’re feeling a gradual incline in business.”

Years ago, people would be willing to take product that was less than perfect if sellers had a deal to offer, Burke said. But that’s not the case today.

“They want only top-quality produce, and restaurants especially want consistent product so that the menu items that they serve always look and taste the same,” he said. “If the recession affected anything, I would say it was in the specialty produce category. It’s easier for retailers and foodservice operators alike to cut out a $50 box of a specialty item than a box of a commodity that is always needed. We don’t handle a lot of specialty items, but that’s likely to our benefit over the past few years.”

Burke noted that the “nuts and bolts” of the produce business continue to do well. Although the company’s processing facility is certified to handle organics, it gets only a small demand for processed organics.

Garden Fresh Salad distributes to customers from New York throughout New England and even into Canada. Its primary customers are wholesalers who sell direct to retailers and foodservice operators. The company also services retail chains and some one- and two-store independent retailers. Burke said it does very consistent business with small chain retailers.

The company is family-owned. Izzy D’Alleva is the founder and president and continues to be active in the business today, although the next generation is now overseeing its operations.

John Whitney also helps to operate the company. His wife, Rita, and Burke’s wife Lisa, also work in the company. John Whitney is also getting more into sales and purchasing.

“We also have Maureen Hurney and Howie Hall in sales and purchasing,” said Burke. “They have both been with us for multiple years.”

Garden Fresh Salad handles locally grown produce when it’s in season, but Burke said the New England growing season is short.

“We’re carrying local apples currently, as well as fall vegetables and winter squashes,” he said. “We just don’t get a lot of locally grown product in the winter. California is now going through its normal transition from the Salinas region to the desert. As Florida starts moving product later in the winter we’ll also be sourcing from there.

“Overall, things have been steady, and we’re always grateful for that,” he added.