“With over 600 SKU’s and growing, Babé Farms is one of the busiest specialty vegetable farming operations on the West Coast,” said Ande Manos, marketing and new business development director for the Santa Maria, CA-based grower and shipper. “Our year-round growing season means harvest never ends for us — it’s always fast paced.”

Manos noted that Jason Gamble, Babé Farms general manager of production, is constantly planning ahead to accommodate its customers’ year-round needs of baby lettuces, baby and specialty root vegetables, baby cauliflower, romanesco, gourmet greens and, “the list goes on,” Manos added.

Babé Farms is anticipating increased volume of their Italian romanesco cauliflower.  Commonly found at farmers markets, this coral-like cauliflower is now growing in popularity as consumers are able to find it in the produce aisle at their local grocery store.

Parsley root is another item on Babé Farms lengthy roster of specialties. Manos said that with its earthy essence of parsley, this not-so-pretty root vegetable adds flavor and aromatics to many dishes such as gratins, mashed potatoes, soups and stews, and they make some pretty special parsley root fries.

“In October, we will be launching our new website,” said Manos. “It will feature our farm video, updated product information, latest news and recipes. Also in October, we’ll be showing off our entire specialty product line at the PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, and we invite everyone to come by and see how they can add a splash of color and excitement to their produce aisles and departments with Babé Farms gourmet vegetables. We’ll be at Booth No. 1634.”

Babé Farms year-round variety of specialty vegetables also includes baby carrots, beets, specialty radishes, organic kales, specialty salads and a variety of specialty root vegetables. The company has been a premier grower, packer and shipper of specialty vegetables and gourmet salad blends for more than 25 years. It distributes its products throughout the United States and Canada under the “Babé Farms” and “Coastal Valley Farms” brand names. The retail clamshell displays the company’s gourmet greens beautifully, provides improved shelf life and they have a unique safety seal.

Babé Farms also feels strongly about being good stewards of the land.

“We are committed to implementing practices that preserve our natural resources, as well as producing safe, fresh produce for our discerning end-users,” Manos explained. “Due to the water regulations that have been put in place, we have successfully implemented irrigation water management that encourages the application of water in an amount that meets the need of the growing plant in a manner that avoids extended soil saturation and runoff.”

She added that with efficient means the company is able to reduce its water usage with the use of drip irrigation, thereby allowing for better placement of water and fertigation. Sprinkler irrigation is only applied during early or late low-wind-hours. In addition, all irrigation water on Babé Farms’ ranches is tested monthly by a third-party lab to ensure safe water quality. It also practices crop rotation with a variety of other vegetables, which helps to suppress diseases in the fields.

“New products are regularly introduced at Babé Farms, which enables our company to be at the leading edge of its specialty category offerings,” said Manos.