Del Rey avocado facility is up and running
Del Rey Avocado Co. Inc.’s new preconditioning, storage and bagging operation in Vista, Calif., is up and running, said partner Bob Lucy.
The Fallbrook, Calif.-based company’s new facility went on line early last summer and will feature equipment to apply Apeel, a layer of plant-derived protection sprayed on the surface of avocados and other fresh produce to slow water loss and oxidation and reduce spoilage and extend shelf life.
Del Rey Avocado already has the Apeel system set up in its Vineland, N.J., facility. The Vista unit should be ready by April, Lucy said.
A growing number of customers are asking for Apeel from Goleta, Calif.-based Apeel Sciences, he said.
Also at Del Rey, the company was presented with a Supplier Award from Whole Foods markets in February.
“In addition to always being readily available and providing transparency, the Del Rey team is committed to high quality and social responsibility by creating economically viable business relationships, utilizing technologies that minimize waste and practicing environmentally sound agricultural practices in growing their avocados,” Whole Foods said in a news release.
“It was a great night for Del Rey Avocado and our partnership with Whole Foods, truly a humbling experience for the entire Del Rey family,” Lucy said in the release.
Del Rey was one of 32 suppliers honored at a reception Feb. 18 in Austin, Texas.
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