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Wada Farms focusing on sustainability

By
Keith Loria

At Wada Farms, there has been a lot of focus recently toward sustainability and having its initiatives line up with other retailer and foodservice leaders.

“Our use of innovative farming practices to produce high-quality produce remains at the forefront of our priorities,” said Eric Beck, director of marketing for the company. “We focus on environmentally friendly agricultural practices while maintaining the highest standards of quality. We want to ensure that potatoes will be a mainstay on everyone’s table for generations to come.”

onions and potatoesPotatoes and onions make up the lion’s share of Wada Farms’ business and the company strives to be forward thinking and have a proactive approach to provide customers with options, solutions and a healthy bottom line.

“At the end of the day, their success is our success,” Beck said. “Quality will always remain a key factor in success, but the differentiator is service. The shipper that can provide a full-scale portfolio of supply chain solutions will provide a better dividend to both the B2B and B2C end user. Quality is king, but service rules the kingdom.”

Today’s consumer, Beck said, has more discernment with their purchasing choices in a more information driven world.

“There is so much content being created each day that consumers must work hard in deciphering what best fits their needs,” Beck said. “Evidence suggests that the average person is consuming around 74GB of data per day (roughly the equivalent of 16 movies) and that it is increasing year over year by around 5 percent. As stewards of the potato and onion industry, it’s our responsibility to ensure the right information is out there, so consumers can make a well-informed choice when it comes to potato and onion nutrition as part of their everyday diet.”

In 2023, both onions and potatoes had their moments of volatility from time to time.

“As an industry, I feel we navigated those waters fairly well, yielding adequate returns to the growers and fair prices to the end consumer,” Beck said. “Maintaining a fiscally sound agronomic plan is what helps keep food on the table and generational farms moving forward.”

Data is showing some slight reductions in acreage for the 2024 crop season, though as it pertains to yields and harvest data, it’s still too early to make any call right now. Still, initial projections are showing a sound crop for 2024.

“Transparency, honesty, and commitment to the process have been key to developing long standing partnerships at Wada Farms,” Beck said. “We’re always open to constructive feedback. We analyze where there are opportunities to improve, develop plans that can be maintained, communicate those changes, and celebrate those successes when positive outcomes are produced.”

Another key to success is embracing change and being dynamically adaptable to meet the customers’ needs.

“We’re okay being comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Beck said. “It allows us to embrace the unfamiliar, challenge the status quo, and find opportunities for growth and learning as a company.”

Keith Loria

Keith Loria

About Keith Loria  |  email

A graduate of the University of Miami, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing for major publications for close to 20 years on topics as diverse as real estate, food and sports. He started his career with the Associated Press and has held high editorial positions at magazines aimed at healthcare, sports and technology. When not busy writing, he can be found enjoying time with his wife, Patricia, and two daughters, Jordan and Cassidy.

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