Fresh Cut Magazine

Family Puts Company on Auction Block

By Dick Lehnert, June 2005 The family-owned carrot empire, William Bolthouse Farms Inc. of Bakersfield, Calif., has “put itself up for auction” and is listed on the Internet Web site Thedeal.com, which valued the enterprise at more than $700 million. The fourth-generation farm reportedly will be sold because some family members want to sell their shares. Bolthouse Farms did not return phone calls or e-mail messages, so details could not be verified. Nor is it known how many family members have a financial interest. William J. Bolthouse, who invented Shortcut carrots in 1992 and revolutionized the industry, retired from company management in 2002. He has two sisters and four children. His parents, William and Helen Bolthouse – who made major decisions, including the relocation to Bakersfield that allowed year-round planting, harvesting and packing of fresh carrots – both died in 2004. They were survived by…  » Read more

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Company Helps Develop State’s Onion Industry

KIDCO Farms may be the new kid on the block when it comes to fresh-cut onions, but the company already is expanding its operations and making a mark on North Dakota’s agriculture. The major onion-growing region of the country is about two time zones west of where KIDCO Farms’ Dawson, N.D., plant is, but those running the company are fast discovering that North Dakota’s soil is well suited to producing onions. And those long-day onions are great for KIDCO’s foodservice business. “The three gentlemen (who own the company), in conjunction with some of the organizations in the state of North Dakota, had come up with the idea to build an onion-processing plant – giving the farmers of North Dakota a viable alternative for another crop that would hopefully return a greater return on investment over the traditional beans, sunflowers and wheat,” said Bruce Lau, executive vice president…  » Read more

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ExecTrends to Look at Present, Future of Industry

When’s the last time you took stock of your company’s position in the competitive fresh-cut arena? How is your company dealing with the rapidly growing fresh-cut sector and what are your prospects for long-term prosperity? How much progress have you made toward achieving greater efficiency, growth and innovation? Our industry is young but slowly maturing, which means now may be the right time to find answers to these challenging questions. If you’re already in the fresh-cut business, you need to anticipate where your competition will surface. If you’re just starting out, you need to see where your opportunities for success lie. And we all need to gain a better understanding of how we can anticipate future challenges and trends to more effectively execute today’s business planning. One of the ways I think executives in our industry can “jumpstart” this strategic process of assessing the future…  » Read more

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Steps Must Be Taken to Ensure All Points Are Properly Monitored

When it comes to cold chain management, there is one thing to keep in mind: It is a chain. There are many links in this chain, and issues can happen throughout the way. So, what processors, retailers, foodservice personnel and transportation companies must figure out is how they can all work together to ensure the cold chain for fresh-cut produce is properly maintained – from beginning to end. “Fresh-cut processors have a brand issue to protect,” said Steve DiRubio, vice president and general manager of the food and international division at Sensitech. “Once the product gets to their (processors’) retail partner or foodservice customer, it may no longer be their responsibility, but the results of cold chain management is their problem.” Sensitech works with fresh-cut producers to look at the cold chain for their products. The company offers hardware for cold-chain monitoring, software for use with those…  » Read more

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Quality Control

With summer weather seemingly in full swing here in Michigan, it’s easy to spend many hours hiding out from the heat in air conditioning and shade. It’s also easy to forego cooking and opt for a lighter fare – say salad. It seems salads and summer are a perfect match. But keeping those salads crisp and safe takes a lot more than simply keeping it cool. The whole cold chain – from field to kitchen table – is an important part of keeping all fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in top condition. As I heard repeated while working on my story about cold chain management, a lot of the issues come from the transportation end. This is not necessarily the product sitting on the refrigerated truck. Transportation issues include the handling of the produce as it is handed from one party to the other. And, making sure…  » Read more

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Showcase: Chilling & Cooling Equipment

Chester-Jensen Sanitary Liquid Chillers cool to the lowest possible temperature instantaneously. The Short Gas Flow design permits rapid escape of refrigerant gas that affects little or no pressure drop across the evaporator. The unit is cleanable, inspectable, USDA approved, ASME certified and free from damage caused by inadvertent freeze-up. Other liquids, brines, glycol solutions, etc., with comparable characteristics also may be chilled to within 1?F to 2?F of their respective freezing points. Rugged and durable stainless steel construction throughout ensures sanitary operation. Chilling is accomplished while the liquid flows by gravity, in a thin film, over both sides of one or more stainless steel corrugated cooling sections, which are hollow. Any number of these sections may be employed, depending upon temperature drop and flow rate required. Sections are arranged in parallel and each is fed from a common overhead distributing trough. Chilled liquid is received in the…  » Read more

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Showcase: Produce Suppliers

Empire Fresh-Cuts Empire Fresh-Cuts is the newest onion processing operation in New York. The company, located in Oswego, N.Y., on Lake Ontario, opened in March 2004. Empire Fresh-Cuts produces top-quality, whole peeled, sliced and diced onion products for the foodservice industry and ingredient companies. Flexible cut size options, custom packaging and turnaround time are guaranteed. Freshness is paramount at our Northeast location, and we proudly serve our industry markets with delivery standards that are fast and reliable. For more information, call Sam Zappala at (315) 343-1581 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Mills Family Farms Mills Family Farms in Salinas, Calif., is making its Wholeaves products available for retailers. Wholeaves are harvested with a patented “no cut” method that preserves vital tissue. The leaves are ready-to-eat, gourmet quality that can be used on sandwiches, burgers, salads, wraps and more. Retail packaged Wholeaves varieties…  » Read more

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