Bobalu Berries builds on sustainability commitment, strives for zero waste

Despite the continued weather disruptions in California since the beginning of January, Bobalu Berries has been working behind the scenes to enhance packaging and build on its sustainability commitment for 2023, according to a news release. 

A subtle design change in the clamshell label was released last month, and more importantly, the label material itself is now recyclable, the release said. The company says it is using 95% post-consumer recycled plastic in all clamshells along with the fully recyclable labels. 

As a result, consumers can now put empty Bobalu berry clamshells in their blue recycling bin. The new label says the container is fully recyclable. The corrugated shipping containers are also fully recyclable. 

In addition to the new packaging efforts, the company is working toward zero waste. Both the fresh farming organization and the processing facility have converted to digital programs, the release said. Bobalu says the paperless measures taken are already saving the company in waste services, staff hours, materials and overall costs. The team at Bobalu is committed to achieving 100% zero waste for its offices and facilities by the end of 2023 and to get certified in 2024. 

“As the company has expanded, we have been able to reevaluate our programs in detail and refocus our priorities of becoming a leading sustainable supplier,” said Eric Valenzuela, director of food safety and quality. “The direction of our efforts has been led by managing partners, Bobby Jones and RC Jones, and implemented down to our processing and field employees. This is a complete team effort, and I could not be more excited to help promote what Bobalu has already done and will be achieving in sustainability.”

Sustainability efforts, new initiatives and increased consumer engagement also resulted in a complete update of the company website, which launched last week. As the company story continues to evolve, so does the digital platform that represents Bobalu. The company is committed to ensuring that the website serves as a window into the company for those visiting virtually.   

Both trading partners and consumers can see more behind-the-scenes efforts of the Bobalu Berries team when visiting its website this year.