Prima® Wawona’s George Papangellin Divulges Details on New Brand, Organic Certification, and PRIMA® PEACH Challenge
FRESNO, CA - As I walk through my local grocery stores, I notice the organic section evolving, both in size and selection. And with summer quickly approaching here in the States, it’s not hard to get into the organic stonefruit mood with Prima® Wawona on deck. I got in touch with George Papangellin, Director of Sales Strategy and Systems, to gain some insights into the grower’s plans as the Organic Produce Summit (OPS) looms into view on July 13–14, 2022.
“We are excited to show our newly launched Prima® Organic brand of peaches, nectarines, and plums that carry on the tradition of consistent premium quality,” George tells me. “As a leader and the largest organic stonefruit grower-shipper, Prima® Wawona organics have reached 16 percent of our total producing acreage, with more coming online each year.”
With the stonefruit grower’s organic farming program proving successful out in the field, its Ag Ops teams are also employing many of those same techniques in the company’s conventional line’s farming practices.
“Prima® has been growing, packing, and shipping organic peaches, plums, and nectarines for over two decades. Our in-house R&D programs for breeding and propagation, coupled with our proprietary varieties and ownership of all the Burchell stonefruit varieties, allows us to bring to the consumer pairs of conventional and organic varieties,” explains George. “The longstanding Prima® Peach and Prima® Diamond Nectarine series of fruits are now being cultivated in our organic program for a greater selection available to the marketplace.”
At OPS, the Prima® Wawona team is eager to dive into more about its farming practices. One development includes making the locations where the grower farms, packs, stores, and ships products from Primus GFS certified.
“Fresh, Juicy, Tasty is the Prima® Promise, and we’re organic too! All our pack plants and distribution facilities are now organic certified, and we’re excited to feature our yellow and white peaches and nectarines to OPS attendees,” continues George. “We will also be talking about our PRIMA® PEACH Challenge that happens the entire month of July. It’s going to be an exciting show.”
Stay caught up as the July show approaches with ANUK.
