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P ro d u c e S h o w D a i l y Fri d a y, O c to b e r 1 7 , 2 0 1 4 5 4 WESTERN FRESH MARKETING PROVIDES FIGS AND KIWIS YEAR-ROUND Western Fresh Marketing began with a fax machine, a couple of phone lines and the will and determination of George Kragie to create a business. George was involved with produce for most of his adult life, working primarily for other people. He ultimately couldn't resist the urge to work for himself, and out of this desire, in 1994 Western Fresh Marketing was born. The business began small with just George and his son Chris running the business. During George's many years in the industry he had developed a reputa- tion as an honest man with impeccable integrity. His easygoing manner was cou- pled with a Midwest work ethic and through his hard work and long days spent running Western Fresh, the cadre of loyal customers continued to grow. The company also continues to grow, and now employs eight full time staff along with three part timers. It has offices in Madera, Calif., Menominee, Mich., and Santiago, Chile. The early years were comprised mainly of fig and kiwi sales. Kragie saw a need for the chain stores, many of who were reluctant to be part of what was then a sporadic supply chain, to have a consis- tent supply of figs. He managed to com- pile growers from Sacramento to Coachella and thus creating a fig market that goes from May through December. Three years ago when Chilean figs were allowed into the country, Western Fresh was the first company to import them – thus creating a nearly year-round supply of fresh figs. George's son Chris manages the kiwi sales at Western Fresh. Through Chris' determined efforts, the company now has kiwi of its own 365 days a year. There was a time when California kiwi fruit was stored to supply the U.S. mar- ket for nearly the entire year. Imported kiwi ended that need, so along with California kiwi, Western Fresh also imports from Chile and Italy. Chilean kiwi goes to the East and West coast, and the Italian primarily goes to the East coast. This way customers on either coast can have kiwi without the addi- tional freight cost associated with mov- ing product across the country. Western Fresh is one of the largest year-round fig and kiwi shippers in the country. Along with these two items, the company also sells a variety of other commodities. Last year, Western Fresh Marketing was the largest U.S. importer of Chilean Asian pears. It also has a year-round Hawaiian papaya program which is run by George's wife Susan who lived in Hawaii for seven years. Additionally, they sell persimmons, quince, fresh olives, fresh ginger, pome- granates and specialty citrus. The sales staff also welcomes the challenge to find any other obscure commodity a buyer might need! For more information, visit www.western freshmarketing.com. ATLAS PACIFIC ENGINEERING COMPANY – INNOVATIVE FC15 FRUIT CHUNKER By Lonnie Alden, Product Line Manager, Atlas Pacific Engineering Company Atlas Pacific Engineering Company, a global leader in fruit and vegetable pro- cessing equipment, will proudly exhibit at the PMA Fresh Summit 2014 the updated and innovative FC15 fruit chunking and spearing machine for the rapidly expanding fresh cut fruit seg- ment. The FC15 machine transforms fresh fruits into ready to eat chunks and spears, delivering versatility for handling pineapples, cantaloupes and honeydew melons, with minimal changeover time between fruit types. The compact machine footprint and simplified opera- tion make this unit ideal for fresh cut processors of any size. The FC15 machine peels, cores, chunks and spears with a robust, for- ward-thinking design. Available options include the ability to produce a variety of chunk and spear sizes by incorporating various combinations of the Delta-blade (patented) and wedge slice modules. The machine operates "on demand" with capabilities of up to 15 pieces of fruit per minute. An industrial PC platform and servo motion control provides superior reliabil- ity with smooth, quiet machine opera- tion. The electrical system is comprised of "off the shelf" commercial components and an optical light curtain to safe- guard operator personnel dur- ing fruit loading. Key highlights of the FC15 include an efficient machine footprint, IP-67 stainless steel construction with the highest hygiene stan- dards, intuitive HMI operator interface display and no tools changeover between fruit types. The FC15 machine accommodates a wide range of fruit sizes and utilizes fruit sens- ing feedback to optimize machine per- formance based on individual fruit size. Incorporating the FC15 reduces manual labor in processing and significantly improves food safety with minimal man- ual product contact. Reduced labor and increased product yields directly con- tribute to your businesses bottom line. The FC15 comple- ments the full line of world class fruit and vegetable processing equipment offered by the Atlas family of companies that includes Magnuson Corporation and Brown International Corporation. Look to the Atlas Pacific family of companies for creative solutions to solve your most complex fresh processing challenges. Plan to visit Atlas Pacific Engineering at booth #529 for a complete demonstration of the FC15's capabilities. For more information, visit www.atlaspacific.com, call 719-948- 3040, email sales@atlaspacific.com or stop by booth #529. MARKET FRESH PRODUCE OFFERS FULL-LINE ONION PROGRAM By MFP Category Manager Chris Jones and MFP Marketing Manager Alison Bos Market Fresh Produce is proud of our year-round, full-line onion program. It includes both sweet and conventional onions. All onions are fresh packed to order, which ensures a product main- tains the highest level of quality and freshness. Market Fresh sells conventional red, yellow and white onions, as well as red and yellow sweet varieties. These are available in pre-pack, medium, large, jumbo colossal and super colossal sizes. Whether it is foodservice or retail, Market Fresh can cater to each individual customer's needs. Pack styles available include 24/2 lb., 16/3 lb., 10/4 lb. and 10/5 lb., as well as high-graphic bins of 160/4 lb. bags and 135/5 lb. bags. We also have 40 lb. jumbo boxes of sweet onions with either closed lids or euro-style open top display ready cases, along with 25 lb. and 50 lb. bags of conven- tional onions. In addition, Market Fresh sweet onion varieties include 1015's, Vidalia's, Walla Walla's and Flat Italian Sweet Red's. Of these varieties, Vidalia onions are the category leaders – while they are in season – accounting for 62 percent of total sweet onion sales. Market Fresh can pack orders according to each individual customer's needs. Pack styles available include 40 lb. jumbo cartons, euro-style display cases, 4 lb. high-graphic bags and high-graphic bins. Vidalia onions are harvested from late-April through mid-June. Due to advancements in technology using con- trolled-atmosphere storage, Vidalia's are available through late summer and early fall. Market Fresh's Vidalia program is priced both FOB shipping point and/or with delivered. Market Fresh takes pride in the fact that we source from all major grow- ing areas including Oregon; Washington; California; New Mexico; Colorado; Utah; Idaho; Texas; Vidalia, Ga.; Mexico; and Peru. We have logistic solutions (full load and LTL) across the coun- try to 48 states using a nationwide system of supply centers. Competitive weekly, monthly, FOB, delivered, contract and ad pricing is another service Market Fresh provides to our valued customers. We even provide weekly market updates on the onion crop, as well as utilize Vendor Managed Inventory programs to maintain top level service and keep shrink to a minimum. Food safety and traceability are top priorities of Market Fresh. We pro- vide one-call nationwide traceability back to the growers so our customers can feel safe about their onion pur- chases. It must be noted Market Fresh conducts third party audits for opti- mum food safety and traceability. Market Fresh provides customers with top-quality onions and the highest level of customer service. For more information, visit www .marketfreshproduce.net, call toll-free 866- 855-7751 or follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest.