Jim Hyatt continues status quo
Jim Hyatt continues status quo
Jon Hyatt, son of the company’s namesake, who runs Jim Hyatt Produce Co. Inc., along with his brother Paul and General Manager Mike Goettsch, admits not much has changed for the firm over the years.
“I’d say we are pretty much the same as we were last year,” he said. “We’re one of those companies that’s just the same thing over and over again. It’s been the same since we began many years ago.”
The company began in the late 1970s as a potato and onion specialist and that same description is valid today. “We really are just a wholesaler in West Sacramento that specializes in onions as well as red, white and Yukon potatoes,” said Jon Hyatt.
Knowing that the subject was California onions, Mr. Hyatt pre-empted the discussion by saying, “Don’t ask me about California onions at this point. California onions are only one of the areas where we source from and that’s about a month away. I have no idea how the crop is coming along.”
He was much more interested in the crops on his dock floor and in the trucks waiting to be unloaded. In fact, speaking of those trucks, Mr. Hyatt said at this relatively small company, there are no job divisions. “We all do everything. In fact, after I finish talking to you, I have to go unload a couple of trucks.”
That fact is underscored by the company’s listing in the Blue Book which shows Paul Hyatt as both driver and comptroller, a fairly unique combination of titles for any company.
Jon Hyatt did say business has been strong and he is looking forward to a continuation of that. While other produce companies might have suffered during the recession, Mr. Hyatt said their firm did pretty well. “Like I said we handle onions and potatoes. Those are staple crops so volume stays pretty steady regardless of what’s going on.”
While the company does source product from onions and potato production areas all over the country, its customer base is fairly localized. Mr. Hyatt said most of the company’s customers are retailers and other wholesalers in the Sacramento area, within a relatively short drive of the firm’s warehouse in West Sacramento.
