The Salad Farm welcomes Adrian Paco as new president
In December, veteran produce expert Adrian Paco came aboard The Salad Farm as its new president. The family-owned operation is based in Salinas, CA and is committed to growing, processing and selling the best quality tender leaf greens.
Paco has had a wealth of experience in the industry, working for Earthbound Farm, Taylor Farms and Fresh Express over a more than 25-year career. Now, he’s at the helm of a company making a big impact on both the organic and conventional markets.
Organic is one area where he’s definitely looking to grow the company’s involvement and impact.
“As a whole, organics continues to grow and we’re a part of it and want to continue our momentum in this segment,” Paco said. “We want to slowly but surely over the years get more traction with the organic items. I’ve had many years in the organic space, and I want us to grow, and grow sustainably, and do as much as we can to protect the environment and do what we can.”
Later this month, The Salad Farm will send a team to the Organic Produce Summit, where it will be rolling out a refreshed logo and new branding overall for the company.
“We’ve been in this organic space for a bit, but we will be enhancing our strategy as I’ve come on board,” Paco said. “I have a strong background in organics, The Salad Farm will be making change to our organic look for this show.”
The show this year will showcase a lot of what the company already does and start to engage with retailers in what they are looking for that’s not being captured in the market.
“Things like sustainable products and packaging, which is the on front side of everyone’s thoughts, so how do we go about doing that together,” Paco said. “Our company size is really nimble, so we’re able to make some changes in that direction faster than some of the bigger players in that space.”
The show will provide an opportunity for The Salad Farm to meet with current customers and find new opportunities for potential customers to offer products that makes the most sense for them.
“We will be presenting our full line tender leaf greens in 5-ounce, 10-ounce and 1-pound packs — and some new varieties of tender leaf lettuces that have some momentum,” Paco said. “We will be displaying that in our standard retail packages and even a bigger 2-pound pack, which can be used in a foodservice setting and big club customers.”
Paco noted that while the company had its foot in the organic space before his arrival, it’s his mission to drive that segment forward in a big way.
“We’re going to be making investments and stay within our own infrastructure to be able to do more with our growers and organics, and our processing plant as well,” he said. “We’re going to be upgrading to do more with organics and we will be sending that message at the show — we’re in it, and we’re in it for the long haul.”
