Murakami Produce ahead of schedule with early onions and storage varieties
Murakami Produce ahead of schedule with early onions and storage varieties
Early onions were even earlier for Murakami Produce in Ontario, OR, this season, according to Grant Kitamura, president and general manager of the operation.
“We’ve been shipping since Aug. 10,” he said on Aug. 17. “The crop is about 10 days to two weeks ahead of normal, and our storage varieties are also maturing ahead of schedule.”
Kitamura said the Treasure Valley, along with the Northwest, had seen triple-digit temperatures in late June and early July.
“The quality is very good, and we have a good range of sizes,” he noted.
Kitamura said the early start to the season bodes well because of the quality and size as well as the early finish for other production areas.
“Marketing has been orderly, and prices are good,” Kitamura said. “Also, there is talk of more export from the Northwest, and that helps everything domestically.”
Transportation has also been easier than in 2014, and Kitamura said the West Coast ports’ opening up helps with the exports.
The sales team of Chris Woo, who is Murakami vice president, Georgie Gabica and Gary Belknap is complemented by sales and marketing by Potandon Produce in Idaho Falls, ID.
And this year the Murakami team added Cameron Skeen in June in operations and business development.
“Cameron is doing very well in his position,” Kitamura said of the third-generation Treasure Valley onion man.
The 30-acre Ontario site has 17 buildings, including a 50,0000-square-foot packinghouse, and Murakami purchased the storage bins and equipment from Ontario Produce for “future storage,” Kitamura said.
In 2014 Murakami ownership changed when six third-generation grower entities formed Murakami Growers LLC. Each entity committed its entire crop to Murakami Produce, increasing the operation’s overall volume.
Kitamura said foodservice volume is holding steady, noting “they need the larger onions that we grow.”
He also said the company is encouraged by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) “looking at a category for dried bulb onions.”
He said, “The Food & Drug Administration is recognizing that our dried onions are not leafy greens,” and Kitamura added that in fact dried onions are considered to be one of the “Clean 15” produce items with the least risk of contamination or pesticide residue.
