April through September is the primary shipping season for growers in the Santa Maria Valley who produce a wide variety of produce commodities on about 50,000 acres, according to the Grower Shipper Association of Santa Barbara & San Luis Obispo Counties, based in Santa Maria, CA.
The growing region supplies a wide variety of of fresh fruits and vegetables to the United States and beyond.
Strawberries, wine grapes, broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce are the top five items produced in the Santa Maria Valley. With spring season underway, grower-shippers ramp up production.
Babé Farms in Santa Maria is featuring its Pink Rhone Little Gem lettuce, which was launched last summer.
This spring and summer, Babé Farms is shipping a mix of specialty vegetables, including colorful root veggies, baby head lettuces, its signature Blonde Frisée, romanesco cauliflower, fennel, celery root and more.
Babé Farms typically grows and ships over 60 items at any given time.
The company ships year-round, and expects to have an increase in volume this year.
Pacific Coast Produce of Santa Mara has good volume of conventional and organic soft squash, including green Italian, yellow straightneck and Mexican gray squash from May through November. In mid-June, the company will kick off its chili pepper program, which will run through December.
Pacific Coast Produce ships broccoli, celery and cauliflower year-round.
Gold Coast Packing Inc. in Santa Maria continues to ship its legacy items such as broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, spinach, cilantro, Brussels sprouts and other value-added vegetables.
The company’s Santa Maria harvest is now underway and will continue until the season returns to the desert.
*****
ALLEN LUND COMPANY, TRANSPORTATION BROKERS, LOOKING FOR REEFER CARRIERS: 1-800-404-5863.