Santa Cruz Berry increases organics, adds raspberries, blackberries in Watsonville
Santa Cruz Berry Farming Co. LLC in Watsonville, CA, is involved in strawberry production in the Watsonville district as well as the earlier Oxnard and Santa Maria districts.
Oxnard, where the harvest has been going on in a light way for some time, was “just getting ready to ramp up” when The Produce News talked to Stephanie Hilton, a spokeswoman for Santa Cruz.
Sweet Darling upgrades strawberry cooler to facilitate GlobalGAP compliance
“We are just about finished with our GlobalGAP certification, which is a big deal,” said Matt Biscotti, who handles strawberry sales at Sweet Darling Sales Inc. in Aptos, CA, near Watsonville, CA.
A company’s level of food-safety compliance is becoming not only of greater interest to customers but more transparent with safety and traceability initiatives that are in place.
During the off-season between the 2012 and 2013 crops, Sweet Darling has been involved in performing various upgrades to its strawberry cooler, which is located in nearby Castroville.
New two-pound clam from Pacific AgPak has smoother walls
When trying to call a business, have you ever had problems with getting through to a person? How often have you heard, “Listen carefully to the following options as our menu choices have changed,” and then you try dialing zero, hoping to reach an operator, only to hear, “That is not a valid selection.” It can be frustrating when your time is precious, but it won’t happen when you call Pacific AgPak Inc.
Peakfresh touts latest research for its pallet bag and box liners
Peakfresh USA, which sells a pallet bag and box liners that it claims significantly increase shelf life of fruits and vegetables, is armed with more research to back up that claim.
Greg Ganzerla, president of the firm, which has its offices in Lake Forest, CA, in southern Orange County, told The Produce News March 11, “We are just about to come out with results of a new study done with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that proves that the Peakfresh bags do a great job.”
Sambrailo Packaging has capability to accommodate any shipper’s traceability program
Produce shippers today have more needs from their packaging suppliers than just to be supplied with packaging materials. One of the needs that has become increasingly important of late is support for traceability programs.
At Sambrailo Packaging in Watsonville, CA, traceability support is one of the important services offered to customers, according to Jim Scattini, vice president of sales and marketing.
Research shows lower rate of decay in strawberries protected with Tectrol technology
“A recently published study conducted by the University of California at Davis and the University of Florida found that transporting strawberries in the sealed TransFresh Tectrol pallet cover system, in which CO2 concentrations were elevated at 11-16 percent, was most effective in complementing current low-temperature-management practices to reduce decay and maintain fruit quality,” stated a press release from TransFresh Corp. in Salinas, CA, dated March 25, an advance copy of which was furnished to The Produce News.
Eclipse Berry’s outstanding growth
Strawberry consumption in the United States has been growing at 9-11 percent a year, and Eclipse Berry Farms LLC in Los Angeles has been outpacing that growth by a significant margin.
“Our company has been growing consistently ever year” at a rate of about 18 percent a year, said Stuart Gilfenbain, who handles sales for Eclipse.
The company is in the strawberry business year round, with production out of Oxnard and Salinas, CA, and Zamora, Mexico.
California Giant Welcomes Spring with ‘A Breath of Fresh Berries’
For the past decade, California Giant has sponsored its own competitive cycling team called California Giant Cycling. This year, “we have partnered with a couple of our cycling sponsors” on the consumer sweepstakes, Ms. Jewell told The Produce News March 5. Specialized Bicycle Components and Clif Bar & Co. have both donated some of their products to include in the “consumer prize packs that we will be giving away every week” as part of a new promotion.
Brooks Tropicals’ outstanding selection of enticing tropical fruits and vegetables
“The charge is on to put more fruits and vegetables on plates,” said Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for Brooks Tropicals, a leading grower-shipper of tropical fruits and vegetables headquartered Homestead, FL. “It’s not just larger portions of side-dish standbys: we’re branching out. Enter ‘tropicals,’ which are enticing their way to the family’s dinner table with great exotic tastes.”
She added that it is not only taste that is driving tropical fruits and vegetables into shopping carts, but the discovery of big pluses on the nutritional side.
Coast Tropical opens two more Mexican packingsheds
As the Mexican mango season was getting underway, San Diego, CA-based Coast Tropical opened a new shed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, which is one of the earlier producing regions. At the same time, it was building a new mango packingshed in Los Mochis, one of the later-producing areas.
“With these new sheds, we have complete control of our fruit from the beginning to the end of the season,” Isabel Freeland, vice president and chief financial officer of Coast Tropical, told The Produce News.