WATSONVILLE, CA – There’s only two months left before this year’s long-awaited Tour de Fresh event, and the ride is still making purposeful strides towards meeting its goal in order to put 50 salad bars in schools. Presented by the The California Giant Foundation, the ride is aiming to raise at least $156,000 for the Salad Bars to Schools initiative.

This year’s ride also has a treat for the industry, as it’s adding technological developments to boost excitement and awareness. Thanks to sponsor Locus Traxx / Emerson, each rider will now have a tracking device, so they can be tracked in real time by anyone, at any point in the tour.

“We’re excited to give our riders a new experience through Northern California this year, while also allowing friends and family who can’t be there to watch in real-time from their phone or computer,” said Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms and The California Giant Foundation. “It’s important to us that everyone who supports Tour de Fresh–whether you’re riding or donating–feels like they are a part of the event and celebration of awarding salad bars to schools.”

According to a press release, this year’s course will be as gorgeous as ever despite the rains experienced earlier in the season. The ride will begin in Pismo Beach on July 25, through Cambria, into Lake Nacimiento on July 26, and ending with a loop of Monterey on July 27, prior to PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo.

Riders can help increase fundraising through the following ways in the remaining two months:

• Ask friends and family for support by posting this link on social media: http://www.tourdefresh.com/riders.php
• Offer company incentives such as raffles, prizes, team lunches, time off, etc for those who donate
• Ask for industry support and partnerships from buyers, suppliers, and more
• Ask local businesses in your area to donate, tax-free

To boost excitement even further, Tour de Fresh will be holding competitions between riders to see who can raise the most money for the chance to win various prizes. Companies like Mission Produce have also created internal competitions to help its riders fundraise, and get the entire company involved, as well as friends and family.

“Mission Produce has been a proud supporter of Tour de Fresh since its inception, and we’re thrilled to have four riders in this year’s event,” said Robb Bertels, Vice President of Marketing at Mission Produce. “We have a healthy competition going on between our riders to see who can raise the most amount of money, and we’ve asked some of our vendors to help us put together team kits with jerseys, bibs, gloves, and other cycling gear so we can represent at the ride!”

Tour de Fresh would not be possible without the support of its Premier Sponsors California Giant Berry Farms, Crunch Pak, Enza Zaden, JAZZ Apples, Mission Produce, Sakata, Tanimura & Antle, Tsamma.

With more than 150 individual donors to-date, most of the $55,000 raised has come through donations of $10 and $25 increments, which proves that no donation is too small to make a lasting impact on the thousands of students who will have access to fresh fruits and vegetables as a result.

Other event sponsors include Americold, Arctic Apples, Baja Son, CHEP, Church Brothers, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Coosemans Worldwide, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Emerson/Locus Traxx Worldwide, EBX Logistics, Fresh Point, Fresh Produce Partners, Fruit Growers Supply, Interfresh, Lipman, Ocean Mist Farms, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Pajaro Valley Fresh, PMA, Pro*Act, Rherig Pacific Company, Renaissance Food Group, Specialty Produce, Taylor Farms, Tessemae’s, Total Quality Logistics, Watsonville Coast Produce, Western Precooling, and Zespri.

As Tour de Fresh ramps up for its yearly ride, continue to count on AndNowUKnow for all the latest updates.

California Giant Berry Farms Tour de Fresh