Nogales, Ariz. – Organic grower-shipper Wholesum Harvest today unveiled its newest effort to promote sustainability, a photovoltaic solar energy system installed this month at its Nogales, Arizona headquarters.
The 100 kW system, the first photovoltaic technology implemented in the city of Nogales, uses solar panels to harness energy from the sun, producing direct current electricity. Wholesum Harvest expects the system to supply approximately 50 percent of total energy needs at the facility, which houses the company’s distribution operations and corporate offices.
“We want the concept of sustainable agriculture to evolve beyond the farm, to also include how we cool, ship and store our organic produce and all that goes into the process of bringing wholesome fruits and vegetables to our customers’ tables," said Ricardo Crisantes, general manager, Wholesum Harvest. “Solar energy is yet another way that we, as a company, can work to promote sustainability.”
The company has made many changes over the past couple of years to become more sustainable, including use of energy-efficient lighting, installation of motion sensors to eliminate unnecessary light use, implementation of a recycling program, and employee training sessions on sustainability. Wholesum Harvest has also cut energy consumption at its Nogales facility by developing a system to optimize cooler usage.
“Wholesum Harvest is committed to providing our customers with healthy, premium quality, organic produce,” said Crisantes. “And we are also committed to doing what we can to preserve and protect the environment in the process.”
Wholesum Harvest is an organic produce company that offers organic tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, mangos, squash and zucchini. All products are certified organic produce, grown in accordance with the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), and certified by Quality Assurance International or Primus Labs. Wholesum Family Farms is dedicated to biological pest management, sustainable agriculture, minimizing its carbon footprint, socially responsible business practices, and earth friendly packaging. The company is a member of the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association.
Source: Wholesum Harvest