New grower partnerships double Oppenheimer's stone fruit program
New grower partnerships double Oppenheimer's stone fruit program
The Oppenheimer Group in Vancouver, BC, may be 150 years old, but the marketer is still doing some things for the first time.
In partnership with Bujulian Bros. Inc., Wildwood Packing & Cooling, and YNT Enterprises, all based in Kingsburg, CA, Oppenheimer will bring stone fruit grown in the state's Central Valley to the market for the first time this spring.
A leader in the Chilean deal, Oppenheimer will double its annual stone fruit volume with this move, adding California apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, Pluots, pomegranates and a handful of specialty items as a summertime complement to its existing Southern Hemisphere winter program.
"We have been interested in including California stone fruit in our product line for awhile, but have been waiting until the time was right," John Anderson, Oppenheimer's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a press release. "The crop mix produced by these growers aligns well with our Chilean program and consists of the varieties our customers prefer."
David Smith, the company's vice president of sales and marketing, added in the release, "While quality and variety are keys to a successful stone fruit program, it's essential that we also share the same values with our growers and that they feel comfortable with what we bring to the table. This partnership provides synergies beneficial to all involved. We are looking forward to working closely with this exemplary group and to serve our customers' stone fruit needs better together."
With this new volume comes the expertise of seasoned industry veteran Charlie Hein, who will join Oppenheimer May 1 in a sales role. Mr. Hein recently resigned his long-term marketing position with Kingsburg Orchards in Kingsburg, and his background includes nearly 30 years of experience with California and Chilean produce gained at Superior Farming Co. in Bakersfield, CA, and Louis Caric & Sons and Maxwell Trading in Delano, CA.
Mike Bujulian, secretary-treasurer of Bujulian Bros.; his colleague Nick Buratovich; Marc Serpa, Oppenheimer's West Coast stone fruit category manager; and other Oppenheimer sales staffers will sell fruit produced by all three growers alongside Mr. Hein from the Wildwood Packing facility. The fruit will also be available through all Oppenheimer sales offices.
Mr. Bujulian shares Oppenheimer's enthusiasm about the partnership, and he noted that while fruit grown by this California trio dovetails neatly into Oppenheimer's Chilean program, the company's new partners in the summer deal also balance one another well.
"We have a unique combination of strengths," he said in the release. "For example, between us, we offer a solid volume of preferred items both early and late in the deal. Where one of us has a higher volume of white flesh peaches, another focuses more on yellow. With Oppenheimer's marketing efforts working for us, we will bring a steady supply of popular items to the market from start to finish."
Among the advantages this group enjoys is a state-of-the-art facility built by Wildwood Packing in 2000. Wildwood's Mark Woods named leadership in technology as a value his company shares with Oppenheimer. "We built a leading-edge packing facility several years ago, which has helped us increase efficiencies and set ourselves apart," he said in the release. "Oppenheimer, as an industry pioneer in such areas as technology and food-safety systems, has a reputation for the same kind of efficient, go-to-market approach. We had common ground from the very start."
"We feel that we are going into the 2008 season with the right marketing partner," Tony Duerksen of YNT noted in the release. "We have watched the growth of the 'Oppenheimer' brand in recent years and have seen a good response in the industry. We're eager to be part of it."
The stone fruit volume will strengthen Oppenheimer's foothold in California's Central Valley. With this new fruit added to the marketer's existing grape and kiwifruit programs from the region, the company will market over 4 million boxes grown in the Golden State in 2008.
"We are eager to build this aspect of our business, and can offer our customers the efficiencies of delivering a wide range of items from the valley in a single order - in the 'Oppenheimer' brand," Mr. Anderson added.
The majority of the fruit will be packed in the "Oppenheimer" label, though a portion of pre-conditioned product will remain in the "Naturally Ripe" brand used previously by Bujulian Bros. The products will be sold in the United States and Canada, complying with the non-fumigation protocols specific to the province of British Columbia as well as to Mexico.
In addition to domestic sales, Oppenheimer will export fruit grown and packed in the group's "Wildwood" label outside North America. Shipping begins in May and continues through the end of October.
In partnership with Bujulian Bros. Inc., Wildwood Packing & Cooling, and YNT Enterprises, all based in Kingsburg, CA, Oppenheimer will bring stone fruit grown in the state's Central Valley to the market for the first time this spring.
A leader in the Chilean deal, Oppenheimer will double its annual stone fruit volume with this move, adding California apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, Pluots, pomegranates and a handful of specialty items as a summertime complement to its existing Southern Hemisphere winter program.
"We have been interested in including California stone fruit in our product line for awhile, but have been waiting until the time was right," John Anderson, Oppenheimer's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a press release. "The crop mix produced by these growers aligns well with our Chilean program and consists of the varieties our customers prefer."
David Smith, the company's vice president of sales and marketing, added in the release, "While quality and variety are keys to a successful stone fruit program, it's essential that we also share the same values with our growers and that they feel comfortable with what we bring to the table. This partnership provides synergies beneficial to all involved. We are looking forward to working closely with this exemplary group and to serve our customers' stone fruit needs better together."
With this new volume comes the expertise of seasoned industry veteran Charlie Hein, who will join Oppenheimer May 1 in a sales role. Mr. Hein recently resigned his long-term marketing position with Kingsburg Orchards in Kingsburg, and his background includes nearly 30 years of experience with California and Chilean produce gained at Superior Farming Co. in Bakersfield, CA, and Louis Caric & Sons and Maxwell Trading in Delano, CA.
Mike Bujulian, secretary-treasurer of Bujulian Bros.; his colleague Nick Buratovich; Marc Serpa, Oppenheimer's West Coast stone fruit category manager; and other Oppenheimer sales staffers will sell fruit produced by all three growers alongside Mr. Hein from the Wildwood Packing facility. The fruit will also be available through all Oppenheimer sales offices.
Mr. Bujulian shares Oppenheimer's enthusiasm about the partnership, and he noted that while fruit grown by this California trio dovetails neatly into Oppenheimer's Chilean program, the company's new partners in the summer deal also balance one another well.
"We have a unique combination of strengths," he said in the release. "For example, between us, we offer a solid volume of preferred items both early and late in the deal. Where one of us has a higher volume of white flesh peaches, another focuses more on yellow. With Oppenheimer's marketing efforts working for us, we will bring a steady supply of popular items to the market from start to finish."
Among the advantages this group enjoys is a state-of-the-art facility built by Wildwood Packing in 2000. Wildwood's Mark Woods named leadership in technology as a value his company shares with Oppenheimer. "We built a leading-edge packing facility several years ago, which has helped us increase efficiencies and set ourselves apart," he said in the release. "Oppenheimer, as an industry pioneer in such areas as technology and food-safety systems, has a reputation for the same kind of efficient, go-to-market approach. We had common ground from the very start."
"We feel that we are going into the 2008 season with the right marketing partner," Tony Duerksen of YNT noted in the release. "We have watched the growth of the 'Oppenheimer' brand in recent years and have seen a good response in the industry. We're eager to be part of it."
The stone fruit volume will strengthen Oppenheimer's foothold in California's Central Valley. With this new fruit added to the marketer's existing grape and kiwifruit programs from the region, the company will market over 4 million boxes grown in the Golden State in 2008.
"We are eager to build this aspect of our business, and can offer our customers the efficiencies of delivering a wide range of items from the valley in a single order - in the 'Oppenheimer' brand," Mr. Anderson added.
The majority of the fruit will be packed in the "Oppenheimer" label, though a portion of pre-conditioned product will remain in the "Naturally Ripe" brand used previously by Bujulian Bros. The products will be sold in the United States and Canada, complying with the non-fumigation protocols specific to the province of British Columbia as well as to Mexico.
In addition to domestic sales, Oppenheimer will export fruit grown and packed in the group's "Wildwood" label outside North America. Shipping begins in May and continues through the end of October.
