Foodservice is an important sector for Prime Time International in Coachella, CA, which specializes in colored bell peppers and mini-sweet peppers. The company has been exhibiting at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference & Expo in Monterey, CA, “for maybe a dozen years or so,” said Mike Aiton, Marketing Manager of Prime Time Sales LLC. “For our business and for the type of people we see there and the things we are trying to accomplish, it has been a great show for us.”

The major selling points Prime Time will be focusing on at the show “are twofold,” Aiton said. “Number one, we have peppers every day of the year. That is appealing” to customers in the foodservice sector “because they can get a continuity of supply.”

Along with that is a consistency of size and quality, he said. “Everything is packed indoors, so the sizing and grading is very good.”

The continuity of supply also enables Prime Time “to commit to a price for longer periods of time,” which is helpful for operators who need to know their costs. “We are seeing more and more contracts come out of the foodservice show,” Aiton sad.

“Then dovetailing with that is food safety” and related certifications, he added. Because of the year-round availability of Prime Time’s peppers, customers “are going to have the same label in their stores all the time” and can be assured that the same food-safety practices are implemented year-round. Regardless of where the peppers are grown at different times of the year, “all of our operations are run exactly the same,” he said.

The company’s website elaborates on those points: “Prime Time is committed at all levels of the production chain to providing premium quality peppers 365 days a year. By assembling the largest network of acreage that extends across California and into various regions of Mexico, Prime Time is the top supplier in the pepper category today. Prime Time’s focus on staying ahead of the technology curve has led to a consistent increase of annual production. The deployment of an advanced Good Agricultural Practices program is a key part of Prime Time’s food-safety initiative. The plan includes hot houses, mesh houses, integrated pest management, drip irrigation, third-party testing and five state-of-the-art packing facilities strategically located at key shipping points and all containing multiple quality assurance inspection points.”

Prime Time’s pepper product line consists of red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers as well as colored sweet mini-peppers. “That is really what we focus on in our booth and in our talking points to our customers,” Aiton said.

The colored bells are packed in cartons for foodservice. “I don’t think we have any foodservice customers that take plastic,” he said.

Fresh colored peppers and mini-sweets “are being used more and more” by foodservice operators, “and they are very versatile,” Aiton said. “We see them being used in cooked menu items and also in fresh menu items” such as salads “and even as hors d’oeuvres.”

The mini-peppers are “not taking off so much” yet at foodservice as at retail “because a lot of it is based on cost and it is still a little pricey for them,” he said. But as the price differentiation between the regular colored bells and the mini-sweets narrows, “we are certainly seeing inroads being made into that segment.” They are showing up “more and more as a complement or as a side dish on the main plate,” Aiton said.

Both types are “so versatile we see them used in all kinds of different ways, now,” he added.