Home cooks love convenience, but they also love to be creative in the kitchen. Ocean Mist Farms, BB #:111742 a grower-packer in Castroville, CA, has increased its presence in the value-added category with the Season & Steam line of cut and washed vegetables in microwavable, resealable bags.
According to Diana McClean, senior director of marketing, “About eight years ago we introduced Season & Steam vegetables where the customer can open the bag, add preferred seasonings, reseal, and cook in the microwave.
“We started with artichokes, then introduced three cuts of Brussels sprouts and baby broccoli. An independent Nielsen study found that shoppers were willing to pay more for the convenience of flavor customization and the ability to reseal the bag.
“The latest line extensions include broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, cauliflower rice, a cauliflower-broccoli floret medley, and cauliflower-broccoli-carrot medley. These products line up with our foodservice vegetable line,” continues McClean. “They’re items we already grow and pack and now have been added to our retail value-added product line.
“For several years, value-added vegetable growth has outpaced commodity bulk vegetables,” she notes. “The growth of our investment in this category reflects that trend.”
McClean says Ocean Mist Farms employs a Gold Standard approach to growing and harvesting its products, as well as the equally important shelf appeal, which she says “has been reflected in the sales data for our existing Season & Steam products, where sales volume has performed at the top of the category.”
Another hot trend can be found in the grower’s well known artichoke category. Ocean Mist Farms just completed its first season of a new proprietary purple variety.
“The eye appeal and eating experience are extraordinary,” enthuses McClean. “We developed the proprietary seed and had the techniques and practices in the field to succeed. Developing the seed with a superior look and flavor took years.”
This is a feature from the New Product Showcase that ran in the November/December 2020 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the full article.
