24,000-sq. foot facility centralizes packing and distribution of frozen fruit and vegetable products
MONTEREY, CALIF. (April 23, 2021) — Reinforcing its focus on frozen cut vegetables and fruit, Monterey, California-based Growers Express has opened a new 24,000-square-foot frozen storage facility in San Luis, Arizona. The Growers Express Distribution Depot consolidates storage of “pick pack” and finished goods, creating a central location for shipping to industrial, food service, and retail customers.
“We designed the Growers Express Distribution Depot to meet our customers’ expanding needs and increase efficiency to ship more than 250,000 packages each day,” said Tom Byrne, president, Growers Express. “Out of San Luis, we are now operating as a pick and pack, consolidation, storage and vendor-managed inventory facility. We have always been at the forefront of innovation – from introducing first-to-market riced cauliflower and spiralized vegetables to being one of the first to voluntarily implement the highest food safety traceability solutions. Our expertise is now being applied to the way we co-manufacture and ship products.”
Growers Express took possession of the newly built San Luis Trading and Logistics, LLC. facility in December 2020 with first outbound shipments in January 2021. A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on March 24 with local dignitaries, including San Luis Trading and Logistics owners, Eddy Chavez and Mario Jauregui; City of San Luis Mayor, Gerardo Sanchez; Ray Face, VP Senior Banker, Foothills Bank; Wesley Splawn, President, 4Powers Contracting; John Schwamm, St., Port Director, San Luis Port of Entry, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Tom Byrne, President, and Mark Dendle, CEO, of Growers Express.
Growers Express is known for high-quality vegetable innovations such as rice, noodles, spirals, matchsticks, cut vegetables, and fruit. The company also maintains a master licensing agreement for the Green Giant™ Fresh brand. Because of its efficiency and quality-controlled solutions, Growers Express is able to consistently provide the highest quality, best-tasting produce, year-round.
“The San Luis Growers Express Distribution Depot is strategically located at one of the highest-growth border crossings with Mexico, supporting our Yuma, Ariz. processing facility with efficiently-sourced quality products from Yuma, California, and Mexico,” added Mark Dendle, CEO of Growers Express.
The Growers Express Distribution Depot and existing facilities focus on food safety and quality program to provide customers with the safest and highest quality food products possible. Growers Express is an SQF certified facility, and its leadership played a significant role in shaping the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act.
# # #
About Growers Express
Founded in 1987 as a grower-owned co-op in Salinas Valley, Calif., the heart of the agricultural region, Growers Express is a legacy farming operation that has evolved into a focused frozen foods business that continues to be passionate, knowledgeable, and trusted in the industry. Growers Express innovations include first-to-market Cauliflower Crumbles® and vegetable noodles. The company is the primary licensed partner of Green Giant™ Fresh, the exclusive fresh produce arm of the iconic Green Giant® brand.
