rio rico, az — Produce branding is a catchword in the industry.

Successfully achieving brands that are recognized by consumers, as well as national retailers, for a variety of practical reasons is a very difficult task. Real national branding is a matter of disarming those practical obstacles.

‘Perfect Produce’ is a theme of SunFed. The distinctive artwork of Brett Burdsal, the firm’s vice president of marketing, adorns the packaging of these Roma tomatoes. If Mother Nature leaves less-than-perfect produce on the vine, it does not go under the premium SunFed label.SunFed, based in Rio Rico, is applying several assets toward truly establishing the SunFed name brand. The Produce News recently sat with SunFed executives Mark Cassius and Brett Burdsal to outline those strengths and work to capitalize on the opportunity. Cassius is SunFed’s executive vice president and general manager and Burdsal is the firm’s vice president of marketing.

One key advantage for the firm, which is a distributor of Mexican fruits and vegetables throughout North America, is that it produces almost its entire, lengthy product line on a year-round basis. In an effort to establish a brand, such continuity is critical.

SunFed has partnerships with Mexican growers producing 20,000 acres. This vast production provides the volume to cover many retail markets across North America. And such volume provides clout when it comes to working with seed breeders.

This seed work certainly involves varietal production targeting superior “quality, taste and flavor,” Burdsal said.

Widespread production in many parts of a very large country enables SunFed to choose from many microclimate options to optimize its harvest timing and best apply the advantages of each varietal selection.

Another factor playing to SunFed’s advantage is Burdsal’s distinctive artwork.

A very gifted artist, Burdsal, who joined SunFed in August 2014, brings the SunFed brand an art style reminiscent of 1930s and 1940s line art and the1950s comic book pop art of Roy Lichtenstein. The style involves bright colors and tongue-in-cheek humor.

Cassius said that, from the field, “Our goal is to provide our customers and their customers with consistency, quality and flavor every day. We are working diligently with agronomists and grower-partners in Mexico to achieve this.”

Burdsal noted that for North American consumers “taste is more important than it was 10 years ago.”

He added that “consumption in the U.S. and Canada is going up and the amount of farmland is shrinking. So, Mexico is becoming a much, much more important piece of the business, year-round. There is not much that is seasonal anymore.”

Cassius said SunFed has some signature products, like calabaza, Italian and yellow squash, greenhouse mini- and Bell peppers, Romas and MelonHeads brand mini-seedless watermelons “that we are excited to bring to market this year. Seedless watermelons and honeydew are other branded signature items.”

Cassius added, “Our goal is that all we grow conventionally will be available in organic day-in and day-out.” SunFed is still finalizing the best areas for some of this “but we are close.”

Burdsal interjected, “We don’t want to have organics unless they are ‘Perfect Organic,’” which technically and philosophically ties into SunFed’s “Perfect Produce” theme.

Social responsibility is a strength of the SunFed brand and Cassius said Fairtrade certifications have been earned by “a big portion of our farms. We are proud of the farms that give back to the community.”

Burdsal said SunFed has worked in Mexico for 20 years. “We are in it for the long haul.”