Babé Farms sees building foodservice demand in the months ahead

Top commodities for Santa Maria, Calif.-based Babé Farms include baby bok choy, root vegetables (baby beets, baby carrots, specialty radishes), blond frisée, baby head lettuce, kohlrabi, and organic kale, said Matt Hiltner, marketing coordinator.

 “Volume is still not where it was a year ago (pre-pandemic), but we hope to get it back to that level within a year as foodservice begins to pick back up.”

Considering Babé Farms and its affiliate companies, Hiltner said about 20% of the company’s vegetable crop is organic, mostly consisting of bunched greens and lacinato kale. That is fairly consistent with five years ago, he said, and no significant changes in that percentage are expected in the near future.

Hiltner said that one packaged product the company introduced this year was its watermelon radish stand-up pouch. 

“This 1-pound pouch displays the watermelon radish’s eye-popping interior color — helping consumers recognize the product — while simultaneously improving shelf life,” he said. 

“It is also equipped with a UPC barcode to eliminate confusion about the PLU. Pre-pandemic, our industry was trying to cut down on packaging, but now, consumer perception is that packaged product is safer, thus, we have noticed a rise in packaged produce. While this may only be a temporary trend, it has definitely been one to take notice of.”