One of the most critical elements in fresh produce is cooling and proximity.
Our 200,000 square foot, solar powered cooling facility sits just minutes from our growing fields in Santa Maria, California. That means from the moment our products are harvested, the race against time to preserve freshness is already in our favor. This close distance minimizes the lag between harvest and cold storage, allowing us to rapidly cool down products and maintain the integrity, shelf life, and quality our customers expect.
Once inside the facility, every product moves through a cooling process tailored to its needs and our Bonipak freshness standard. Leafy greens often go through vacuum cooling, where airtight chambers and specialized tubes draw out field heat in minutes, rapidly lowering temperature throughout the entire head. For other crops, forced-air cooling delivered through MACS units and tunnel systems channels cold air evenly through packed product for consistent cooling from the inside out. Icing provides a direct chill that keeps temperatures low during transit, while hydro shower cooling bathes produce in cold water to remove heat quickly and uniformly.
Why does this matter? The moment produce is harvested, it begins to respire. The longer it sits in warm conditions, the faster it loses moisture, texture, and flavor. By quickly transitioning from harvest to the nearby cooling facility we capture produce at peak vitality and lock in that quality before it is lost. From field to cooler, every step of our process is built around one standard, delivering produce at its absolute best.