Ohio Proud gives Ohio and Holthouse Farms of Ohio a boost
Ohio Proud gives Ohio and Holthouse Farms of Ohio a boost
Stanton, Jordon, Robert, Ken, Kirk, Steve, and Kevin Holthouse.The Ohio Proud program, “is huge for us,” said Kirk Holthouse, sales manager of Holthouse Farms of Ohio Inc., based in Willard, OH. “Fortunately, the chains in Ohio support growers here really well. We have built on that. It is important because it keeps produce closer to home. It lowers the carbon footprint and typically your best success is when it’s fresher on the consumers’ tables.” He added, “Everyone wins” when consumers can buy locally grown produce.
Holthouse credited the Ohio Proud promotion administrators with “doing a good job.” Holthouse has retail customers who display the promotion materials in their stores. These are important “to let people know when to buy. When they see the box or logo, they know it’s ‘Ohio Proud’ and people like to support their own.”
Holthouse believes the interest in locally grown produce “really exploded since 9/11” because people are comforted that there is security in food grown by their neighbors.
The produce industry has also met consumer concerns for food safety in that recent time period, he added. “A lot of money has been spent to ensure that people have safe food.”
Regarding food safety, Holthouse Farms this year will be operating from two buildings that will be newly entirely enclosed. “Nothing will be open-air. When our bins and crates arrive” at these packingsheds “it will be the last time they are in a non-controlled environment,” Holthouse said. “We do anything we can do to increase the shelf life and cleanliness of our products.”
Robert Holthouse heads the firm’s food-safety program. “He made my job easier because I pass inquiries” from customers concerned with food safety “on to Robert and he has the information at his fingertips,” Kirk Holthouse said.
The firm’s largest-volume vegetable crops are cucumbers, peppers, soft squash, cabbage and eggplant. “We have a wet veg program with our partner,” Holthouse said.
In the fall, Holthouse “is one of the largest hard squash packing companies,” he said. These will begin about Aug. 20-25. The ornamental squashes will begin Sept. 1.
