Christmas has passed and there are just a few days left in the year. 2018 has been a great year for Gold Coast Packing not only did we celebrate our 40th Anniversary but we added to our team and to our product lineup.

We started 2018 by showing off our latest innovation, our Caulifornia™ Riced Vegetable Side Dish Kits. The side dish line offers 100% riced Cauliflower or a blend of riced Cauliflower, Broccoli and Carrots accompanied by a flavorful sauce.  The side dish kits are available in three flavors: Garlic Herb and Butter, Ginger Garlic and Spanish Rice. Cauliflower Rice remains a trendy veggie and will continue to stay on trend as more consumers focus on healthy eating and on plant-based meals in 2019.

Early in the year we saw the need for small portion packs. Meal Delivery Kits are booming and making small packs of our items for the kits made sense. We started with 8 oz. packs of our broccoli florets, which quickly grew to shredded cabbage and then to 4 oz. bags of spinach and 10 oz. of riced cauliflower. We now have nearly 20 different packs available. Any item that we currently process could be a portion pack… our innovation team is ready to help!

This year we also released small retail packs of some of our popular items. Added to our retail line up was a 12 oz. bag of our Caulifornia™ Snow, a 6 oz. bag of our Superfood Salad, 8 oz. of shredded Brussels Sprouts and an 8 oz. Broccoli Slaw. These items are the perfect addition to any store shelf, as they are at a great price point, all come with a recipe on the packaging and are all on trend items.

When our team headed to Monterey for the annual PMA Foodservice Conference, they went prepared to show off our latest Blend: The Sunny Superfood Salad. It is a bright and colorful blend of Kale, Napa Cabbage, Green Cabbage, Watermelon Radish, Broccoli Stem, Carrots and Cilantro. The Sunny Superfood Salad is a great blend that can be paired with any protein to make it a complete meal. It can be used hot or cold and it’s the perfect addition to any menu.

Our Product Development team has been busy at work throughout 2018 and is already busy working on our latest creations that will be released in 2019. Stick with us in the new year to see what new and tasty items we will make available to our customers.

Original Article Here by Kayla Webb

SANTA MARIA, CA – Salads are a staple in lunchboxes, on menus, and in produce aisles, but it never hurts to razz up interest with new flavors and offerings. Gold Coast Packing recently launched the Sunny Superfood Salad for foodservice and already it’s started a buzz around the industry. Adding a fun, bright selection of flavors into the salad mix, the Sunny Superfood Salad is bringing summer sunshine to the culinary world year-round and reinvigorating salad as a mainstay eating option.

I tapped Crystal Chavez, Marketing Coordinator, to get the full details on this exciting new offering and to find out when I can get my hands on it at retail.

“Following the PMA Foodservice show, we have had a lot of great feedback on our Sunny Superfood Salad,” Crystal tells me. “We have had several requests for samples and have been sending out our salad to several interested customers. The responses have all been positive and we keep hearing the same thing: The salad is bright, colorful, and unique!”

The Sunny Superfood Salad is a tasty blend of kale, Napa and green cabbage, carrots, watermelon radish, broccoli slaw, and cilantro that Crystal says can be paired with any protein to make it a complete hot or cold meal that is unlike any other item foodservice operators have on their menus.

“What makes this product unique is that it has so much color and texture, plus it’s loaded with superfoods. The kale and cabbages are full of health benefits and can go with a variety of flavor profiles, the carrots and broccoli give this blend a great crunch, the watermelon radish adds a gorgeous burst of fuchsia color, and the cilantro throws in a punch of flavor. You really can’t go wrong with this colorful salad,” Crystal explains.

For those of you in retail itching to offer this product, Crystal reveals that it’s not out of the question for the Sunny Superfood Salad to hit grocery shelves soon. As long as the demand and volume is there, Gold Coast Packing will always work with its customers to create what will work for them.

In addition, Crystal shares that Gold Coast Packing has received requests for smaller pack sizes and has since added a line of Portion Packs to its meal kit, in-store kit, and home delivery offerings that includes 2 oz spinach, 6 oz shredded kale, 8 oz broccoli, and more.

Original Article Here by Robert Schaulis

SANTA MARIA, CA – Bill Munger is making new moves in the produce industry, taking the role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Gold Coast Packing Inc. Munger has more than 25 years of foodservice, retail, and industrial sales experience, including roles asExecutive Vice President at Greengate Fresh and CEO of Amerifresh.

“I am excited to join the Gold Coast team,” Bill Munger, shared upon his appointment. “It is refreshing to be part of an organization focused on creativity,innovation, and putting the customer first. Gold Coast has a lot of great things ahead.”

According to a press release, Munger’s background in sales and management has helped him grow his teams, leading them to acquire new accounts and develop new product offerings.

“Bill brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team,” Crystal Chavez, Marketing Coordinator, commented. “We are looking forward togrowing the company and our product offerings through his ideas and direction.”

Congratulations to this industry veteran for the next major milestone in his career and to Gold Coast Packing for growing its team.

Original Article Here by Lillie Apostolos

Everyone likes anniversaries—they show that what’s movin’ and shakin’ is definitely workin’! Celebrating it’s 40th anniversary is Central Coast grower, packer, and shipper of fresh, safe, and innovative produce Gold Coast Packing. Longtime friends Ron Burk and Bob Espinola began their business venture in 1978, when their company started out as a Western veggie and strawberry grower/shipper. From there, the company has expanded into both conventional and organic vegetables and herbs. Customers, continued development, and the addition of product lines to meet their customers needs have been of the utmost priority for the company over the duration of its 40 years and counting.

“To have thrived and prospered in business over a 40-year span proves that we have been able to do things right and meet our customers’ expectations. However, none of this would have been possible without the support of many talented employees and partners over those 40 years,” said President and Co-Founder Ron Burk, in a recent press release. “As I look ahead to our future, I am confident that we are positioned to continue to provide excellent service to our customers with innovative products. Gold Coast’s success is due to the dedicated people who come to work here every day, sharing the vision to be the best we can be.”

Some of the company’s best known items include the award-winning Caulifornia™ Riced Vegetable products, as well as its washed and ready-to-use broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, spinach, cilantro, kale, salad kits, and value-added fresh products.

If you’re wondering how the company is ringing in its ruby year milestone, you can look to its new logo that will be displayed throughout the 40th anniversary year. In addition to the celebratory look, the company will hold a few events to honor the landmark.

Congratulations to Gold Coast on the momentous achievement. We wish you every success in your endeavors moving forward!

The Holiday season has arrived, and most of us have already attended a Christmas party or two, or are planning to in the next week. And that means that you have loaded up on all the tasty treats that come with the holidays, ham and the trimmings, cheesy appetizers, and the sweets… oh the sweets! If you are like most of us, after indulging on all those goodies, you want to try something a little healthier. Well here at Gold Coast Packing we completely understand and that is why this month we are sharing a healthier, lighter recipe, enter the Chocolate, Broccoli Leaf and Kale Salad. Yes, that’s right, we said Dark Chocolate and Kale! We will give you all the detail on this amazing salad soon but first we want to tell you all about Broccoli Leaf… what makes this salad unique and healthy.

Broccoli Leaves are a completely unknown and underrated green. Broccoli Leaves are exactly what you are thinking, they are the leaves of the plant that are usually trimmed off when broccoli crowns are harvested. These leaves are nutrient dense and very tasty. Broccoli leaves are high in Fiber, Vitamins A & C, Thiamin, Niacin, Calcium, Iron, Potassium… the list goes on… truly a SuperFood!

Broccoli leaves don’t taste much like Broccoli, they are crunchy with a mild and sweet flavor. The leaves can be cooked up in the same ways that Kale can, Sautéed, Steamed, Stir-fried or simply eaten raw in a salad or as the green in your sandwich or wrap. We are showcasing these green leaves this month in our Broccoli Leaf and Kale Chocolate Salad.

Our salad recipe is easy to put together and is bursting with flavor. The Kale and Broccoli Leaves are tossed together with sliced almonds, dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese and don’t forget the Dark Chocolate! To add some tart and tang we dress it with a Pomegranate dressing that takes this salad to a whole other level! Trust us on this one, you get a healthy salad that doesn’t skimp on flavor and pairs perfectly with your favorite Red Wine. And, if you still have a holiday party to attend, take this salad with you. Everyone will love it and will be talking about the Chocolate Salad. Thanks for joining us this month, we hope your holidays are filled with joy, family, friends and plenty of treats. Check out the video below for a step by step tutorial, and the printable recipe can be found at the bottom of the page.

Dark Chocolate Broccoli Leaf Salad