CORONA, CA - Cheers to 35! 2024 marks the 35^th anniversary of fruit and vegetable producer Veg-Fresh Farms. As the company readies to celebrate this milestone and welcome its third generation of leaders, I touched base with the team to discuss its latest portfolio developments.

“Having the ability to provide our customers offerings from bulk to value-added packs sets Veg-Fresh Farms up to service to multiple outlets such as foodservice concepts, supermarkets, and the retail space as well,” shares Adam Cancellieri, Partner. “Providing time- and cost-saving advantages that also provide important food safety benefits was the main goal behind our investment in this line.”

The robust fresh-cut lineup was officially launched just a few months ago, comprising a selection of diced tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and more. Other value-added SKUs featured in this line include items such as pico de gallo, tri-colored bell peppers, ginger, and more.

While emphasizing top-tier product quality with a heightened focus on food safety, the program is expertly designed to deliver on customized requests. To achieve this, Veg-Fresh optimizes custom equipment and a state-of-the-art processing facility to ensure the quality, consistency, and food safety of the products within this line.

“We can place a tomato at the beginning of the line and it will come out at the end diced and packaged with very little labor,” adds Bob Wright, Director of Pre-Cut Solutions. “This custom process is unique in several aspects, beginning with the designated, state-of-the-art facility. It is also foolproof when it comes to safety. The system not only logs all pertinent data but will also shut down if we are outside of our critical control points.”

The company’s proprietary washing process and cutting-edge packaging help increase shelf-life while reducing pathogens and mold. The line also minimizes the human element for Veg-Fresh’s partners, which significantly reduces labor and employee safety risks.

“Customers have requested not only cut or sliced products, but other items like washed and peeled or shredded ginger,” shares Bob, diving further into the lineup’s development. “In the future, we will continue to add solutions that will improve restaurant or deli operations.”

In fact, the company is in the process of establishing its second line—a high-speed line for ready-to-eat sliced tomatoes that will be implemented sometime in the spring.

Last but not least, Veg-Fresh is honing its expertise to tap into the potato sector.

“We have been working extensively to implement a new potato program,” notes Sales Director Jamie Simon. “To break into this already established space, we set our focus on sourcing, creating strong relationships, and offering an eco-friendly, biodegradable bag for the potatoes.”

Adorning the company’s Russet, gold, and red potatoes, these bags have been tested and certified by the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), which tests packaging and validates its compostability elements. According to RISE, these bags have been certified with a 90 percent disintegration into less than 2mm pieces over 12 weeks or less.

More exciting developments are to come in 2024, as the supplier shared with me, so be on the lookout for our next update!