Original Article Here

Original Article Here by Jessica Donnel

Another successful PMA Foodservice Conference & Expo went down in the books this past weekend, once again uniting buyers and suppliers from across the foodservice industry, and bringing us all a healthy dose of innovation, education, and networking opportunities.

“The 35th annual Foodservice Conference & Expo set records across the board for PMA. We had 1,952 attendees join us (including more than 485 foodservice distributors and more than 190 foodservice operators), marking three consecutive years of record attendance. The Foodservice Expo was the largest in event history with 204 exhibitors, 47 of which were first-timers,” PMA President Cathy Burns tells me. “In addition, attendees were highly engaged during the education sessions – and on social media as well – as they learned more about fresh produce’s growing role as a ‘center of the plate’ star and emerging consumer trends.”

As Cathy mentioned, 2016 meant another year of hitting 1,952 attendees, with the conference boasting 485 foodservice distributors from across the buying community, as well over 200 exhibitors.

Another major highlight of the weekend-long conference was Friday’s three education sessions set up by the PMA team. Topics like food safety, tastes and trends, and insider tips from chefs graced the ears of attendees, bringing a well-rounded wealth of knowledge to both newcomers to the foodservice arena and seasoned veterans.

Celebrity Chef and winner of Top Chef All Stars, Richard Blais, strapped in industry members for his session, Menus of Change: From Seed to Stalk, marrying comedy and education to explain which trends we be seeing hit menus soon.

“I feel like we are in a golden era of produce,” Richard exclaimed during his talk. The chef name dropped such produce items as cactus fruit and swiss chard as the next big wave of products consumers will be ordering from top chefs.

Last but not least, the conference wrapped up Sunday with buzzing show floor. Filled to the brim with new exhibitors (45 to be exact), never-before-seen products, and flavors, the show also gave this special company some top bragging rights with the following award:

Judges awarded @GoldCoastPack with the Best Product Promo! #PMAFSC pic.twitter.com/nkWT9BIOR3

— PMA (@pma) July 31, 2016

Original Article Here by Christina DiMartino

Companies are on the leading edge of development are the ones that continual­ly grow, expand and evolve. That’s exactly what is happen­ing at Gold Coast Packing in Santa Maria, CA.

Katie Boncich, who was promoted from sales to mar­keting manager in Septem­ber 2015, said the company has been exhibiting at the PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo since its inception.
“Of course we’ll be there again this year, at Booth No. 311,” said Boncich. “Our full staff will
be in attendance to greet and meet with existing and prospective customers.”

Gold Coast Packing will feature all of its customizable foodservice pack of fresh produce at the show, including broccoli cauliflower, cilantro, spinach, kale, Superfood blends, Brussels sprouts, green onions, parsley and collard greens.

“We will also showcase our new Caulifornia Snow,” said Boncich. “It is packed six, one-pound bags of riced cauli­flower with a 16-day shelf life.

The foodservice sector is a major part of Gold Coast Pack­ing’s business, representing between 65 and 70 percent of its sales. The company ships nationwide and into Canada.

“Our products are supplied to all sectors of the industry,” explained Boncich. “We do a lot of customized products for quick serve restaurants and family style chains. Our spe­cialty is in customized products are supplied to all sectors of the industry,” explained Boncich. “We do a lot of customized products for quick serve restaurants and family style chains. Our spe­cialty is in customized products for the ever-changing needs of the industry’s speci­fications. The foodservice side of our business is continually growing.”

An ever-evolving company like Gold Coast Packing means staff additions and changes. In addition to Boncich’s promotion, last Sep­tember Karl Lipscomb transitioned from sales to product develop ment team manager, and Donna Wilkins was hired as production coordinator.

In December we hired Andy Physioc as regional sales manager,” said Boncich. “In January we hired Ben Harmon out of Cal Poly San Luis Obis­po. He is now our account manager”.

The company is also grow­ing in physical size. It is cur­rently in the development stages to add 25,000 square feet to its existing facility, Fresh Venture Foods, and an additional 30,000 square feet of cold storage to its second building, Fresh Venture Foods 2.

“We provide customers with a tailored product that fits their supply chain needs and usage rates at the store or restaurant level,” said Bon­cich. “Thus we provide them with the power to control their systems and inventory more effectively, all the while sourcing the freshest product available.”

Original Article Here

Fresh Venture Foods, the wholly owned processing and cooling facility to Gold Coast Packing and Babe Farms, has recently activated an on-site cogeneration plant to produce a significant portion of its electrical needs. The plant became operational in June 2016.

In October 2011, the owners of Gold Coast and Babe Farms decided to form a joint venture and built a 75,000-square-foot facility on land they owned in Santa Maria, CA. The facility can be expanded to 105,000 square feet to support future growth. Construction of the new facility was completed in the fall of 2012. The new facility provided 50 percent additional capacity and houses all corporate office functions as well as production, which includes receiving, cooling, cleaning, sorting, packaging and shipping.

In 2015, after an extensive feasibility study FVF decided to install a natural gas fueled cogeneration plant to reduce its carbon footprint, control costs and upgrade its energy infrastructure. The upgrade will help keep rising energy costs under control by replacing grid electricity with on-site power generation. Emissions will be reduced by using the engine waste heat for onsite cooling.

FVF will be using the Jenbacher J312 engine, which has an electrical output of 633 kilowatts. In addition to the containerized generator, the system has a skid mounted chiller and two water towers. A heat recovery system will be used to convert the waste heat into therms, which will be used to chill water for various plant processing needs. To aid the plant in meeting new regulatory requirements, the engine is equipped with an advanced carb 1110.2 compliant emissions control system that attains treated emissions of 4 ppm at 15 percent O2.

Original Article Here by Christina DiMartino

Superfoods are, by definition, nutrient-rich foods considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being. This category of food is found in nature. Typically they are calorie sparse and nutrient dense, meaning they pack a lot of punch for their weight as far as goodness goes. And they are outstanding sources of anti-oxidants and essential nutrients. The human body requires these nutrients, but it cannot produce them.

Gold Coast Packing Inc., in Santa Maria, CA, knows its superfoods, and the company will be featuring its new Superfood Salad at Booth No. 34 at the PMA Foodservice Conference & Expo in Monterey, CA, in July.

“The Superfood Salad includes broccoli slaw, kale, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, green cabbage, and carrots,” said Brent L. Scattini, vice president of sales. “We’ll also be promoting our washed, ready-to-eat broccoli leaves and some exciting new cauliflower-based products.”

Gold Coast Packing will have a large and diverse team of staff members on hand at the PMA Foodservice event to greet and meet with visitors. In addition to Scattini, among them will be Ron Burk, president and chief executive officer, John Schaefer, vice president and general manager, sales representatives and others.

“We have prepared some fresh salad ideas and unique vegetable blends at the expo,” added Scattini. “We’ll have our full line of exciting products on hand for visitors to view, including our processed, ready-to-use broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, cilantro, parsley, salad mixes and kale.”

Approximately 80 percent of Gold Coast Packing’s product line is sold to the foodservice industry. Its customers are located throughout North America.

“We supply high-end restaurant chains, quick-serve chains, foodservice distributors, regional processors and retail clients,” explained Scattini. “Gold Coast Packing specializes in customized product lines and pack sizes to meet the specific needs of foodservice and retail customers alike.”

The company, he noted, has experienced tremendous growth over the past five years in both overall customer volume, new line items and expanded customer bases.

And the company is growing physically to accommodate its growth.

“We have finished completion of our new processing facility, Fresh Venture Foods, a few years back,” said Scattini. “The facility is exceeding our expectations. Fresh Venture Foods is a joint venture between Gold Coast Packing and Babe Farms, and provides great synergies for both companies as well as our customer bases.”