Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/560612
26 SEPTEMBER 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com late-season stone fruit from the Northwest for Woot Froot products, including helping put together sales for Gaarde of truckloads of pre-sized U.S. No. 1 d'Anjou and Bartlett pears. Field sees great potential for fresh-cut pears and stone fruit and believes fresh-cut fruit could help improve grower returns by using inventories of packing house manifolds that build up and depress prices. "It's exciting to see how this could grow," Field said. "The Gaardes are starting this in a much smaller way than some of the sliced-apple processors. The Gaarde family is very grower-oriented, and they've done a lot of varietal and fruit quality research on pears and stone fruit that could benefit Northwest growers." Fruit family The Gaarde family— Kim, her husband Eric, and daughter Brittnie (Gaarde) Hammack—are a "fruit cen- tric" family. Kim, with 25 years experience in the fruit industry, spent more than 15 years at a family-owned stone fruit and table grape grower-packer-shipper in Dinuba, California. She worked her way from being a sea- sonal receptionist to the company's financial controller. Eric graduated from California State University, Fresno, with an agricultural-business management degree and worked for Wawona Frozen Foods for 12 years as a field representative, purchasing fruit from growers and packers. In 1994 he began his own fruit sourcing company called Gaarde FoodSource and Service, Inc., to supply raw product manufacturers and end-user manufacturers with a wide range of fruit crops used in fresh-cut, frozen, dried, puréed, and canned fruits, juices, and more. Eric also created two related businesses, Fruit Dynamics, in 2002, and Pangaea Cultivar Management in 2011. Both have had a role in the success of Kim's fresh-cut stone fruit venture. Fruit Dynamics provides fruit quality analysis and evaluation, product and packaging development, and postharvest evaluation. The company has developed a database called FruitSpan of cultivar characteristics, postharvest quality, and lab analyses on more than 2,400 commercial and unreleased fruit varieties. Pangaea, a turn-key cultivar management company, identifies potential fruit varieties from around the world and manages the importation of plant material and licensing for commercialization, similar to services of the International New Varieties Network and Associated International Group of Nurseries. Pangaea is the ancient Greek term for "entire earth" and relates to the compa- ny's global search for new varieties. Hammack, in her late 20s, is food safety director for Fresh Fruit Cuts and manages daily operations and assists with marketing and sales for Woot Froot products. About the only part of the fruit industry that the Gaarde family hasn't attempted is growing the fruit they source or sell. Growth Fresh-cut pears have been very popular at the retail level, says Gaarde, adding that she believes they are the first in the market with fresh-cut pears and stone fruit, although several companies have been working on the concept. She appreciates the support from pear and stone fruit growers who have supplied product. "We pulled a lot of raw pear product this past season COURTESY WOOT FROOT Fresh-cut peaches are prepared for packing. - Labeled for two (2) treatments: Additional protection for High-Density production - Rozol paraffi nized pellets are ideal for wet conditions - Perfect for use during snow melt-offs Voles gnaw on tree trunks and roots (girdling) causing disruption of the tree's fl ow of nutrients and water. OUTSTANDING VOLE CONTROL Learn More Protect Your Orchard Ph: 888-331-7900 • www.liphatech.com Meadow vole. High-Density Orchards Require Intensive Vole Management with Toll Free: 855-855-0318 www.hfhauff.com • hfhauff@gmail.com We've got you COVERED! CALL TODAY for the dealer nearest YOU!