California Pepper grower/shipper Live Oak Farms launched its 2018 pepper season on a new multi-million-dollar high-tech pepper pack line and marked the expansion of its pepper program with its first ever Jalapeno harvest.
“We’d set out to raise the bar on field bell pepper quality, and today a new era has begun for Live Oak Farms”, said Ed Beckman, Chief Operations Officer; ‘Well over two years of planning went into the design of the new pack line, which incorporates the latest grading technology and high levels of automation.” The new line incorporates multiple camera systems developed by Aweta, a world-leader in pepper grading technology. “We’d benchmarked quality at over twenty bell pepper operations throughout the world”, according to Beckman; “There are elements of the most advanced Holland-based greenhouse operations found in this line, which can pack multiple types of bell peppers with a fraction of the workforce that had been require in the past.”
Live Oak Farms said it is known for its obsession with quality. Going forward, the new packing line allows Live Oak to broaden the number of packs, including private label projects, in response to customers who’ve been asking that the company expand its quality standards to a wider range of product. “We’re now positioning our colored bell production around a model of product flexibility”, said Beckman, “We’re up for the challenge of meeting the most demanding requirements. Our quality standard may begin with the quality of our peppers, but our vision of quality extends to the service we provide our customers. And that means, we’re looking to grow the pepper category through innovation in packaging.”
Live Oak Farms has an extensive field-trial program, evaluating dozens of varieties each year, with only the best advancing to its commercial production. “Our colored bell program begins in late July and features both elongated red and blocky yellows”, said Donna Giampaoli Vaughan, a partner and sales team member with Live Oak. “With the new packing line, we’ve greater options to meet the needs of our existing customer base and new customers. We’re excited about the possibilities and have already entertained inquiries from customers throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
Live Oak’s Pepper 2018 program is expanding to include hot peppers. After a three-year search for a premium Jalapeno pepper, the new Live Oak Jalapeno will launch with limited volume in 2018. “We’ve customers who’ve been asking for a better Jalapeno, one grown in California that could be featured as part of a California-grown campaign”, said Vaughan, “We’re looking forward to growing and packing a better hot pepper to meet the demands of an ever-expanding hot pepper category.”
For more information:
Ed Beckman
Live Oak Farms
Tel: +1 (209) 389-4576