Earthbound Farm honored at IFPA expo with Fresh-Cut Produce Award
Earthbound Farm honored at IFPA expo with Fresh-Cut Produce Award
PHOENIX - At an April 15 gala dinner feting one of the larger gatherings in the 18-year history of the International Fresh-cut Produce Association's annual conference and exhibition, Earthbound Farm and its founders, Drew and Myra Goodman, were named recipients of the 2005 Fresh-Cut Produce Award.
Presented by the IFPA and The Produce News, the Fresh-Cut Produce Award recognized Earthbound Farm for its revolutionary work in advancing organically grown fresh-cut products.
Other industry pioneers were also recognized at the dinner's award ceremony, which drew several hundred of the estimated 1,400 conference attendees. The Chairman's Award went to Ken Silveira of Tanimura & Antle, and the IFPA Technical Award was presented to Dr. Jim Gorny, who serves as IFPA's vice president of technology and regulatory affairs and is also known as "Dr. Fresh-Cut" in the association's electronic newsletter.
In the inaugural presentation of the IFPA President's Award, special recognition went to Alan Heinzen, chief executive officer of Heinzen Manufacturing International in Gilroy, CA, and to Alessandro Turatti of Turatti Co. in Cavarzere, Italy.
The conference and trade show kicked off Wednesday, April 13, with a morning board of directors meeting, followed by industry tours throughout the day and an international reception that evening. Thursday saw the golf tournament, additional industry tours, a technical committee meeting, the first day of Fresh-Cut Innovations work sessions and the opening reception for all conventioneers.
Friday's events began with the Chairman's Breakfast, which included a keynote address by author Larry Winget, whose Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life made it to the top of The Wall Street Journal's best-seller list.
The day went on to include several workshops as well as the opening of the expo hall, where 106 companies were on hand to demonstrate their products and equipment. A fresh-cut apple group met in a workshop Friday afternoon, and the awards ceremony and dinner were held that evening.
A full day of sessions followed Saturday's breakfast and keynote address by entertainer Frank Miles. Running concurrently with the exhibit hall show was a fresh-cut science symposium and a marketing-communications workshop. The expo closed Saturday afternoon; Sunday's single meeting, which focused on research, was a private event.
Organizers called the newly revamped, three-day event a success, and its dozen work sessions covered a broad range of topics, from consumer and marketing trends to technology and advancements in science and food safety.
A sanitation session looked at food-safety audit preparation, explaining the auditing process, and a workshop focused on packaging looked at some of the more innovative concepts that were also on display at the expo.
Key trends in fresh-cut produce and fruit examined consumer preferences and newer products, and another session looked specifically at the issue of avoiding the inadvertent introduction of foreign objects into fresh-cut products.
Alternatives to chlorinated water as a wash disinfectant were examined, and an hour-long session on radio frequency identification provided insight into RFID's promise.
A presentation on consumer uses of fresh-cuts was also among the sessions, as were regulatory changes and their impact on the industry. Other sessions looked at media coverage, trends in sales and the future of fresh-cut technology.
While the Phoenix venue was conducive to relaxed and informative business sessions and a lively expo floor, the atmosphere was also charged with excitement during the awards dinner.
Leading up to the presentation of the Fresh-Cut Produce Award to Earthbound Farm were several other important citations. In his recognition of 2004 Chairman Ken Silveira, IFPA Chairman Bob Whitaker of NewStar Fresh Foods lauded his predecessor for moving to create an IFPA Europe division, overseeing restructure of the association staff, launching the monthly "Inside Fresh-Cuts" newsletter, publishing two research reports, issuing a new resource guide and starting the ExecTrends Conference.
Devon Zagory of Davis Fresh Technologies spoke highly of Dr. Gorny during the presentation of the Technical Award, noting Dr. Gorny's numerous contributions to the industry as a whole and to the association, where his multi-tasking has earned him praise from his colleagues.
And during his turn at the podium, IFPA President Jerry Welcome announced the first presentation of the President's Award. He called Mr. Heinzen and Mr. Turrati "great ambassadors" for the IFPA.
Accepting the Fresh-Cut Produce Award were Drew Goodman, who along with his wife, Myra, founded the organic company 21 years ago, and Charles Sweat, chief operating officer of the operation. Mrs. Goodman was unable to attend.
In the award presentation, Earthbound's ongoing growth was described from its founding in 1984 as a two-acre farm that produced organic raspberries, specialty greens and culinary herbs in California's Carmel Valley. Initially sales were to local restaurants and through a roadside stand.
Two years after they started their farm, the Goodmans introduced pre-washed and bagged salads to the retail world, running their operation out of their own kitchen and a 600-square-foot barn.
In the early 1990s, the farm expanded to 34 acres, and a 9,000-square-foot production facility was built. Soon the farm expanded further and became a popular site for tourists and locals. School tours were brought to the site, and weekly educational and cooking events were presented for the community.
As the farm grew, the product line continued expanding to include bagged salads and kits. In the mid-1990s, producing on 800 of its own acres, Earthbound Farm teamed up with Mission Ranches to meet production needs, and a 25,000-square-foot facility was built to handle items such as carrots, artichokes, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuces, tomatoes, citrus and berries.
In the late 1990s, organic farming was on 5,800 acres, and Tanimura & Antle joined in the production of organic items to meet a growing demand.
By 2000, Earthbound Farm and its partners were producing organic fruit and vegetables on 8,300 acres, and the product line included apples, stone fruits, more specialty salad blends and innovative new packaging. A second production facility was opened in Yuma, AZ, and between the California and Arizona sites, nearly 3,000 square feet were used for processing and packing.
By 2003 the organic farmland had exploded to more than 20,000 acres, and Earthbound Farm had become the largest grower and shipper of organic produce in North America. Seven of 10 organic sales bore its familiar brand that year.
Last year the California production facility again expanded to 203,200 square feet, and the Arizona counterpart increased to a total of 205,000 square feet. Nearly 75 percent of all U.S. supermarkets carried Earthbound products in 2004, and the product mix grew to include apple slices, bananas, additional packaging options and chopped-and-washed vegetables.
Three forward distribution centers have been opened in the last year, giving Earthbound Farm coast-to-coast, next-day delivery capability, and the Arizona production facility began operating on a year-round basis.
Today the company offers more than 100 different products, processes some 22 million servings of salad each week and employs approximately 1,000 people. Summing up the impact of companies such as Earthbound Farm and the importance of the IFPA to the fresh-cut industry, Mr. Welcome noted, "From the educational sessions, industry tours and buzz heard on the show floor, it's clear there is tremendous innovation driving our industry." He added, "We hope the fresh-cut expo helped showcase this excitement."
Presented by the IFPA and The Produce News, the Fresh-Cut Produce Award recognized Earthbound Farm for its revolutionary work in advancing organically grown fresh-cut products.
Other industry pioneers were also recognized at the dinner's award ceremony, which drew several hundred of the estimated 1,400 conference attendees. The Chairman's Award went to Ken Silveira of Tanimura & Antle, and the IFPA Technical Award was presented to Dr. Jim Gorny, who serves as IFPA's vice president of technology and regulatory affairs and is also known as "Dr. Fresh-Cut" in the association's electronic newsletter.
In the inaugural presentation of the IFPA President's Award, special recognition went to Alan Heinzen, chief executive officer of Heinzen Manufacturing International in Gilroy, CA, and to Alessandro Turatti of Turatti Co. in Cavarzere, Italy.
The conference and trade show kicked off Wednesday, April 13, with a morning board of directors meeting, followed by industry tours throughout the day and an international reception that evening. Thursday saw the golf tournament, additional industry tours, a technical committee meeting, the first day of Fresh-Cut Innovations work sessions and the opening reception for all conventioneers.
Friday's events began with the Chairman's Breakfast, which included a keynote address by author Larry Winget, whose Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life made it to the top of The Wall Street Journal's best-seller list.
The day went on to include several workshops as well as the opening of the expo hall, where 106 companies were on hand to demonstrate their products and equipment. A fresh-cut apple group met in a workshop Friday afternoon, and the awards ceremony and dinner were held that evening.
A full day of sessions followed Saturday's breakfast and keynote address by entertainer Frank Miles. Running concurrently with the exhibit hall show was a fresh-cut science symposium and a marketing-communications workshop. The expo closed Saturday afternoon; Sunday's single meeting, which focused on research, was a private event.
Organizers called the newly revamped, three-day event a success, and its dozen work sessions covered a broad range of topics, from consumer and marketing trends to technology and advancements in science and food safety.
A sanitation session looked at food-safety audit preparation, explaining the auditing process, and a workshop focused on packaging looked at some of the more innovative concepts that were also on display at the expo.
Key trends in fresh-cut produce and fruit examined consumer preferences and newer products, and another session looked specifically at the issue of avoiding the inadvertent introduction of foreign objects into fresh-cut products.
Alternatives to chlorinated water as a wash disinfectant were examined, and an hour-long session on radio frequency identification provided insight into RFID's promise.
A presentation on consumer uses of fresh-cuts was also among the sessions, as were regulatory changes and their impact on the industry. Other sessions looked at media coverage, trends in sales and the future of fresh-cut technology.
While the Phoenix venue was conducive to relaxed and informative business sessions and a lively expo floor, the atmosphere was also charged with excitement during the awards dinner.
Leading up to the presentation of the Fresh-Cut Produce Award to Earthbound Farm were several other important citations. In his recognition of 2004 Chairman Ken Silveira, IFPA Chairman Bob Whitaker of NewStar Fresh Foods lauded his predecessor for moving to create an IFPA Europe division, overseeing restructure of the association staff, launching the monthly "Inside Fresh-Cuts" newsletter, publishing two research reports, issuing a new resource guide and starting the ExecTrends Conference.
Devon Zagory of Davis Fresh Technologies spoke highly of Dr. Gorny during the presentation of the Technical Award, noting Dr. Gorny's numerous contributions to the industry as a whole and to the association, where his multi-tasking has earned him praise from his colleagues.
And during his turn at the podium, IFPA President Jerry Welcome announced the first presentation of the President's Award. He called Mr. Heinzen and Mr. Turrati "great ambassadors" for the IFPA.
Accepting the Fresh-Cut Produce Award were Drew Goodman, who along with his wife, Myra, founded the organic company 21 years ago, and Charles Sweat, chief operating officer of the operation. Mrs. Goodman was unable to attend.
In the award presentation, Earthbound's ongoing growth was described from its founding in 1984 as a two-acre farm that produced organic raspberries, specialty greens and culinary herbs in California's Carmel Valley. Initially sales were to local restaurants and through a roadside stand.
Two years after they started their farm, the Goodmans introduced pre-washed and bagged salads to the retail world, running their operation out of their own kitchen and a 600-square-foot barn.
In the early 1990s, the farm expanded to 34 acres, and a 9,000-square-foot production facility was built. Soon the farm expanded further and became a popular site for tourists and locals. School tours were brought to the site, and weekly educational and cooking events were presented for the community.
As the farm grew, the product line continued expanding to include bagged salads and kits. In the mid-1990s, producing on 800 of its own acres, Earthbound Farm teamed up with Mission Ranches to meet production needs, and a 25,000-square-foot facility was built to handle items such as carrots, artichokes, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuces, tomatoes, citrus and berries.
In the late 1990s, organic farming was on 5,800 acres, and Tanimura & Antle joined in the production of organic items to meet a growing demand.
By 2000, Earthbound Farm and its partners were producing organic fruit and vegetables on 8,300 acres, and the product line included apples, stone fruits, more specialty salad blends and innovative new packaging. A second production facility was opened in Yuma, AZ, and between the California and Arizona sites, nearly 3,000 square feet were used for processing and packing.
By 2003 the organic farmland had exploded to more than 20,000 acres, and Earthbound Farm had become the largest grower and shipper of organic produce in North America. Seven of 10 organic sales bore its familiar brand that year.
Last year the California production facility again expanded to 203,200 square feet, and the Arizona counterpart increased to a total of 205,000 square feet. Nearly 75 percent of all U.S. supermarkets carried Earthbound products in 2004, and the product mix grew to include apple slices, bananas, additional packaging options and chopped-and-washed vegetables.
Three forward distribution centers have been opened in the last year, giving Earthbound Farm coast-to-coast, next-day delivery capability, and the Arizona production facility began operating on a year-round basis.
Today the company offers more than 100 different products, processes some 22 million servings of salad each week and employs approximately 1,000 people. Summing up the impact of companies such as Earthbound Farm and the importance of the IFPA to the fresh-cut industry, Mr. Welcome noted, "From the educational sessions, industry tours and buzz heard on the show floor, it's clear there is tremendous innovation driving our industry." He added, "We hope the fresh-cut expo helped showcase this excitement."
