Oct 14, 2020

Grimmway debuts new product, sustainable strategies at PMA Fresh Summit

Grimmway Farms, which markets itself as the largest carrot producer in the world and the largest organic vegetable producer in the U.S., is exhibiting new products and sustainable packaging initiatives this week at the first-ever virtual Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit Conference & Expo.

The company said in a news release it “more focused than ever” on bringing innovative products to the market, reducing packaging material waste, and helping the industry make fresh produce available to everyone.

“We listen and work closely with our customers to create items their shoppers want, and we’re committed to rigorous testing to develop products that will sell,” said Eric Proffitt, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Grimmway.

The company is showcasing new items from its organic division, Cal-Organic Farms, including Rainbow Carrot Chips in 12-ounce retail packs and Baby Bok Choy in 3-count clamshell containers, according to the release. Cal-Organic’s colorful carrots chips are an exciting new option for fresh produce snacks, conveniently packaged in a resealable bag. The baby bok clamshell packaging protects the vegetable’s delicate quality through transit, which is especially helpful considering an increase in online grocery shopping and delivery.

Cal-Organic is also promoting their upcoming seasonal red carrot program as well as their new crop potato, dry onion and sweet corn programs, according to the release. The company’s exclusive red bunch carrots will be available from December through March and its spring potato, onion and sweet corn crops are slated to begin shipping in May.

“Growth of organic produce continues at a strong pace, and despite economic challenges consumers show no indication of shifting their purchases away from organic fruits and vegetables,” Jeff Huckaby, President of Grimmway Farms, said in the release. “We continue to expand our certified organic acreage and we’ve established programs in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast to extend our growing seasons. This is helping us widen availability windows for seasonal commodities and recognize efficiencies that will help us meet increasing demand.”

Grimmway and Cal-Organic also are planning packaging initiatives centered on improving the sustainability of materials used throughout the product lifecycle, according to the release. Notably, the company has converted more than 25 products to ship in cases with optimized dimensions, reducing materials used while improving palletization. They have also engineered a case made of polypropylene (PP) which is 100% recyclable and weighs about half as much as a competing wax and fiber carton.

“We’re seeking solutions that will help us deliver our produce safely, however we’re also looking for materials that can meet this end while creating minimal impact on our environment,” said Jason Higbee, General Manager of Cal-Organic and Corporate Procurement at Grimmway. “When our packaging uses less material, weighs less and is the right size to protect our product, we can pack more vegetables into each delivery, resulting in less wax consumed and less fuel burned.”