(June 2, 2010) Just in time for the 2010 blueberry season, California Giant Berry Farms launches its state of the art cooling and packing facility in Aurora, Oregon. Utilizing industry leading technologies, California Giant is very pleased with the final result of their latest effort.
Located in the lush Willamette Valley, widely recognized for its superior small fruits quality, this facility has been designated by California Giant as a strategic shipping location for this highly productive region. Establishing the Pacific Northwest as the cornerstone of their domestic production program, this new facility furthers the company’s commitment to a year-round quality bush berry program. California Giant’s new facility is fully equipped and ready to receive fruit when harvest begins in mid June.
“We are pleased with the location here in the Willamette Valley, which is one of the most productive blueberry producing regions in the world. The location and the state of the art facility will enable us to deliver a continuous, high quality berry supply to our customers. We look forward to building long term relationships in this strategic growing region and expanding the program in the coming years”, says Joe Barsi, VP Business Development for California Giant.
Fruit handling and preservation are hallmarks of the California Giant Berry Farms program and with their extensive knowledge base and experience they have implemented their system at all levels for this new venture. With their standard attention to detail and focus on enhancing fruit quality for the retailer and consumer, the company has built an advanced, function specific facility designed and engineered to preserve the quality of small fruits.
California Giant has two seasoned berry veterans managing the company’s commitment to fruit quality in this important region. Patrick Garrison, the Bush Berry Operations Manager works closely with the region’s top growers to procure California Giant’s bush berry supply and Silverio Ramos, PNW Production Manager is responsible for all aspects of production and Quality Control. Both Garrison and Ramos are based out of the Aurora facility.
The Pacific Northwest region combined with several regions within California is expected to provide the company with a promotable domestic supply of bush berries from March through October. These volumes will continue to compliment their established winter production in South America providing year-round quality berries.
Source: California Giant Berry Farms