Van Solkema set to roll out new Brussels sprouts pouch
Van Solkema set to roll out new Brussels sprouts pouch
BYRON CENTER, MI — Van Solkema Produce Inc., based here, was set to introduce a new Brussels sprouts pouch bag on Aug. 12. Tim Van Solkema, chief operating officer of the firm, said the resealable, clear and high-graphics bags are very popular and will be a large boost to the firm’s Brussels sprouts business.
Tim’s brother, Todd Van Solkema, who is the firm’s chief executive officer, said the firm’s packaging line “has had steady growth.”
Pouch sales “are going real well,” he said. “When you have growth, you have growing pains. But we find a way to work through it.”
Sourcing in Georgia and Nogales, AZ, has made Van Solkema Produce a year-round supplier.
In Nogales, Van Solkema works through a “bird dog” and a consolidation house. The firm has sourced in Nogales for two seasons.
“Our next goal is to add a repack operation in Georgia,” Van Solkema added. For secure management, expansions such as these “have to be controlled” and not done all at once.
In addition to the new Brussels sprouts package offering, other key Michigan items Van Solkema is shipping this summer are sweet corn, hard squash, parsnips, turnips, beets and cabbage. The firm will also ship Peruvian onions and will restart with Georgia squash at the end of August. The Georgia deal “will build from there.”
This summer, Van Solkema shipped a 12-count Michigan sweet corn four-pack tray. The sweet corn overwrap bears a picture of Tim Van Solkema’s 4-year-old daughter, Kensingtyn.
