SunSelect peppers bolster Oppenheimer's summer greenhouse supply
SunSelect peppers bolster Oppenheimer's summer greenhouse supply
SunSelect Produce in Aldergrove, BC, is the latest greenhouse producer to join marketing forces with Vancouver, BC-based The Oppenheimer Group. Oppenheimer signed a multi-year agreement with SunSelect in mid-March, and began shipping the first bell peppers grown by its new partner a week later.
SunSelect, a 30-acre, family-run bell pepper operation located just north of the U.S. border, annually grows over 500,000 cases of red, yellow and orange peppers. Established in 1987 by the Krahn family, SunSelect is one of the longer-producing pepper growers in the lower mainland of Canada.
?SunSelect produces premium-quality greenhouse bell peppers, and its volume dovetails strategically with our Mexican pepper supply from Divemex," John Anderson, Oppenheimer?s chairman, president and CEO, said in a release. "The SunSelect peppers also significantly strengthen our existing Canadian supply, assuring that we can meet customer requirements throughout the year."
SunSelect peppers are labeled in the "Oppenheimer? brand and packed into Oppenheimer boxes.
?We are excited about the partnership, and are confident that Oppenheimer will be responsive to our marketing goals and objectives," said Reinhold Krahn, president of SunSelect.
Among common pursuits, Oppenheimer and SunSelect share an interest in the potential of value-added packaging to build performance in the greenhouse pepper category. "The trend is absolutely here to stay," Mr. Krahn said. "Value-added packaging provides a better presentation to the end customer, encourages purchases of larger quantities and provides ease of handling."
Mike Reed, Oppenheimer?s greenhouse category director, concurred, noting that Oppenheimer has well over a dozen specialty greenhouse produce packs available, including several pack styles of bell pepper bags.
Safety, innovation and market understanding are also common priorities connecting SunSelect with Oppenheimer.
?We grow our product using biological pest control," Mr. Krahn said. "We?re also constantly testing new pepper varieties and growing techniques to remain at the forefront of producing top-quality [crops] and product that the market wants."
Mr. Reed pointed out that Oppenheimer is also fine-tuning its greenhouse supply with the market in mind. With supply from SunSelect and other lower mainland Canadian growers, Oppenheimer?s summer pepper color mix reflects retailer preferences of 55 percent red, 25 percent yellow and 20 percent orange, he said.
In addition, the company now can present a very balanced pepper program all year long. "The volume we grow in Canada is now essentially equal to our Mexican volume," Mr. Reed said. "I think this helps make us the best choice for greenhouse peppers, especially if you consider that our tomato and cucumber offerings are also very consistent all 12 months."
SunSelect Produce joins five other lower mainland Canadian greenhouse producers represented by Oppenheimer. The marketer also offers greenhouse products grown in California, Nevada and Mexico as well as Europe, assuring a steady supply of preferred items.
SunSelect, a 30-acre, family-run bell pepper operation located just north of the U.S. border, annually grows over 500,000 cases of red, yellow and orange peppers. Established in 1987 by the Krahn family, SunSelect is one of the longer-producing pepper growers in the lower mainland of Canada.
?SunSelect produces premium-quality greenhouse bell peppers, and its volume dovetails strategically with our Mexican pepper supply from Divemex," John Anderson, Oppenheimer?s chairman, president and CEO, said in a release. "The SunSelect peppers also significantly strengthen our existing Canadian supply, assuring that we can meet customer requirements throughout the year."
SunSelect peppers are labeled in the "Oppenheimer? brand and packed into Oppenheimer boxes.
?We are excited about the partnership, and are confident that Oppenheimer will be responsive to our marketing goals and objectives," said Reinhold Krahn, president of SunSelect.
Among common pursuits, Oppenheimer and SunSelect share an interest in the potential of value-added packaging to build performance in the greenhouse pepper category. "The trend is absolutely here to stay," Mr. Krahn said. "Value-added packaging provides a better presentation to the end customer, encourages purchases of larger quantities and provides ease of handling."
Mike Reed, Oppenheimer?s greenhouse category director, concurred, noting that Oppenheimer has well over a dozen specialty greenhouse produce packs available, including several pack styles of bell pepper bags.
Safety, innovation and market understanding are also common priorities connecting SunSelect with Oppenheimer.
?We grow our product using biological pest control," Mr. Krahn said. "We?re also constantly testing new pepper varieties and growing techniques to remain at the forefront of producing top-quality [crops] and product that the market wants."
Mr. Reed pointed out that Oppenheimer is also fine-tuning its greenhouse supply with the market in mind. With supply from SunSelect and other lower mainland Canadian growers, Oppenheimer?s summer pepper color mix reflects retailer preferences of 55 percent red, 25 percent yellow and 20 percent orange, he said.
In addition, the company now can present a very balanced pepper program all year long. "The volume we grow in Canada is now essentially equal to our Mexican volume," Mr. Reed said. "I think this helps make us the best choice for greenhouse peppers, especially if you consider that our tomato and cucumber offerings are also very consistent all 12 months."
SunSelect Produce joins five other lower mainland Canadian greenhouse producers represented by Oppenheimer. The marketer also offers greenhouse products grown in California, Nevada and Mexico as well as Europe, assuring a steady supply of preferred items.
