Brooks Tropicals launches StarPac for starfruit
Brooks Tropicals launches StarPac for starfruit
With its starfruit program ramping up for the season, Homestead, FL-based Brooks Tropicals has introduced a new clamshell pack for the product that will improve shipping and merchandising.
"The launch of our new starfruit StarPac was timed with the season revving up," said Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for the company. "The package is being released in August. It's basically a clamshell with two divisions for one starfruit each."
From a logistical standpoint, Ms. Ostlund said that the new pack makes it easier to display, move and stack starfruit. There is less bruising of the fruit, and it adds an element of food safety because product is protected from direct handling by staff and consumers.
"But we found another interesting benefit of the StarPac," said Ms. Ostlund. "It enhances the ripening process, and it helped to maintain the fruit's color better. It also extends the shelf life. Consumers see the fruit in its entirety, and the StarPac ensures them that it will get home in great condition."
Ms. Ostlund added that the UPC coding on the StarPac's label eliminates the chance of inaccuracies at the register because code numbers consistently will ring correctly.
Brooks Tropicals also announced the completion of its new facility in northern Belize, near the town of Corozal, about 30 miles from the Mexican border.
"The 12,000-square-foot administration building holds our farm managers' offices, accounting group and other personnel," said Ms. Ostlund. "There are also new maintenance garages, fertilizer buildings and a break room, where workers can congregate comfortably before and after going into the fields."
Brooks spared nothing when it came to equipping the facility with the latest technology. Ms. Ostlund said that the Homestead office communicates with its two subsidiary companies in Belize -- one that handles farming and the other that oversees packing and shipping -- on a continuous basis. The new facility was built for its farming subsidiary.
"It is equipped with satellite communications, satellite video, high-speed Internet abilities and VOIP," she said. "We hold daily video conferences with our staff there at least once a day, which is invaluable for seamless product movement. It would be impossible without this high level of technology."
Belize, previously British Honduras, became fully independent from the United Kingdom in 1981 and was that country's last continental possession in the Americas. Consequently, the population speaks English as well as Spanish and Mayan.
Ms. Ostlund, who counts photography as a hobby, said that the new facility needed some artwork on the walls to give it a finished and warm look. She applied filters and other touch-ups with computer programs to some photos she took, and the result is the framed and mounted photos that fit well with the facility's new furnishings and modern d?cor.
Even in the midst of new pack launches, facility openings and technical details, Brooks Tropicals has not missed a single detail in its ongoing food- safety initiatives.
"The most recent audit at our Belize facilities was in June, and we received a 95 percent, which is an excellent rating," said Ms. Ostlund. "It takes a great deal of focused effort by every staff member. Once standards are set and people get used to doing things a certain way, it becomes a natural and normal way to function. Every employee must do their part and always be diligent."
Although 95 percent is a high rating, Brooks is particularly proud of the recent audit rating it earned at its Homestead packinghouse and cooling, cold storage and distribution center.
"The distribution center received a rating of 99 percent, and the packinghouse was rated at 97 percent," said Ms. Ostlund. "The auditor said he was so impressed that he asked if he could take photos of the facilities to use as examples for other companies. He also said that he would like to bring other operators to see our facilities in person."
Ms. Ostlund said that the auditor was impressed that every staff member was involved with the food-safety initiatives.
"It takes a commitment from every person, and that means everyone must be educated and aware of what they should be doing and exactly why," said Ms. Ostlund. "We're especially proud because we can share these ratings with our customers as an indication of how safe the food we're providing is."
Ms. Ostlund also shared news of Brooks' new papaya washing and packing machine. She said as soon as papayas go through the separating line, they are washed, dried and ready to pack.
"The machine's functions enable us to process triple the number of papayas we have in the past," she said. "We are now at pre-Hurricane Dean volumes, and we project being at record volumes by the end of 2008."
"The launch of our new starfruit StarPac was timed with the season revving up," said Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for the company. "The package is being released in August. It's basically a clamshell with two divisions for one starfruit each."
From a logistical standpoint, Ms. Ostlund said that the new pack makes it easier to display, move and stack starfruit. There is less bruising of the fruit, and it adds an element of food safety because product is protected from direct handling by staff and consumers.
"But we found another interesting benefit of the StarPac," said Ms. Ostlund. "It enhances the ripening process, and it helped to maintain the fruit's color better. It also extends the shelf life. Consumers see the fruit in its entirety, and the StarPac ensures them that it will get home in great condition."
Ms. Ostlund added that the UPC coding on the StarPac's label eliminates the chance of inaccuracies at the register because code numbers consistently will ring correctly.
Brooks Tropicals also announced the completion of its new facility in northern Belize, near the town of Corozal, about 30 miles from the Mexican border.
"The 12,000-square-foot administration building holds our farm managers' offices, accounting group and other personnel," said Ms. Ostlund. "There are also new maintenance garages, fertilizer buildings and a break room, where workers can congregate comfortably before and after going into the fields."
Brooks spared nothing when it came to equipping the facility with the latest technology. Ms. Ostlund said that the Homestead office communicates with its two subsidiary companies in Belize -- one that handles farming and the other that oversees packing and shipping -- on a continuous basis. The new facility was built for its farming subsidiary.
"It is equipped with satellite communications, satellite video, high-speed Internet abilities and VOIP," she said. "We hold daily video conferences with our staff there at least once a day, which is invaluable for seamless product movement. It would be impossible without this high level of technology."
Belize, previously British Honduras, became fully independent from the United Kingdom in 1981 and was that country's last continental possession in the Americas. Consequently, the population speaks English as well as Spanish and Mayan.
Ms. Ostlund, who counts photography as a hobby, said that the new facility needed some artwork on the walls to give it a finished and warm look. She applied filters and other touch-ups with computer programs to some photos she took, and the result is the framed and mounted photos that fit well with the facility's new furnishings and modern d?cor.
Even in the midst of new pack launches, facility openings and technical details, Brooks Tropicals has not missed a single detail in its ongoing food- safety initiatives.
"The most recent audit at our Belize facilities was in June, and we received a 95 percent, which is an excellent rating," said Ms. Ostlund. "It takes a great deal of focused effort by every staff member. Once standards are set and people get used to doing things a certain way, it becomes a natural and normal way to function. Every employee must do their part and always be diligent."
Although 95 percent is a high rating, Brooks is particularly proud of the recent audit rating it earned at its Homestead packinghouse and cooling, cold storage and distribution center.
"The distribution center received a rating of 99 percent, and the packinghouse was rated at 97 percent," said Ms. Ostlund. "The auditor said he was so impressed that he asked if he could take photos of the facilities to use as examples for other companies. He also said that he would like to bring other operators to see our facilities in person."
Ms. Ostlund said that the auditor was impressed that every staff member was involved with the food-safety initiatives.
"It takes a commitment from every person, and that means everyone must be educated and aware of what they should be doing and exactly why," said Ms. Ostlund. "We're especially proud because we can share these ratings with our customers as an indication of how safe the food we're providing is."
Ms. Ostlund also shared news of Brooks' new papaya washing and packing machine. She said as soon as papayas go through the separating line, they are washed, dried and ready to pack.
"The machine's functions enable us to process triple the number of papayas we have in the past," she said. "We are now at pre-Hurricane Dean volumes, and we project being at record volumes by the end of 2008."
