Custom pepper packs on the rise

Shippers seem to be packing more peppers than ever in convenient consumer packs, while many suppliers are custom packing their bulk cartons.

“Our demand for packaged peppers continues to grow,” said Mike Aiton, director of marketing for Prime Time International, Coachella, Calif.

The company has added two new packing lines designed to accommodate multicolor or multi-quantity packs, Aiton said.

From 10% to 15% of the firm’s bell peppers now are packed in bags, compared to 5% to 10% just three years ago. “It is a growing part of our business,” Aiton said.

Prime Time will pack bags to order, with buyers requesting the colors they want.

The bags typically are sold by count rather than by weight.

About 90% of Prime Time’s sweet mini peppers are sold in bags, Aiton said.

John Burton, sales and cooler general manager for Coachella-based Peter Rabbit Farms, is proud of the company’s 1 1/9-bushel display-ready carton.

“It’s a very appealing box because peppers are place packed, labeled and stickered,” he said. “They just pop when you’re looking at the box.”

They’re more expensive than other cartons, “but the design of the box allows the peppers to really show so you know what you’re buying,” he said.

Sales of the box have increased from 50% to 75% annually since the company started offering them four years ago.

The company also packs some choice-grade peppers in 2-pound consumer bags for a couple of customers, but that business is not steady, he said.

Pasha Marketing LLC, Mecca, Calif., field packs its large and extra-large bell peppers in a place-pack box and packs medium-size fruit in face-pack cartons, says Franz De Klotz, vice president of marketing.

The face-pack box is a box of peppers that is packed, then turned upside down so that it looks like a place-pack carton when it’s flipped over and opened, De Klotz said.

Choice-grade product is packed in volume-fill cartons.

The company also packs some mini sweet peppers in bags for a couple of customers.

Leamington, Ontario-based NatureFresh Farms ships in a variety of pack formats including a 5-kilogram bulk box packed by color and several consumer combo packs, said Chris Veillon, marketing director.

Talley Farms Inc., Arroyo Grande, Calif., which specializes in green sweet bell peppers, packs corrugated display-ready cartons to order based on size, said Anthony Totta, director of marketing and brand development.

Bailey Farms, Oxford, N.C., offers its peppers in bulk cartons and in pouch bags, said Randy Bailey, president and co-founder.

Demand is about evenly split between the two options, he said, with some shoppers opting for the convenience of a bag, while others prefer to pick out their own peppers.

The Oppenheimer Group, Vancouver, British Columbia, offers two-, three-, four- and six-count consumer packs of peppers and even some single-count packs, said Aaron Quon, executive category director, greenhouse and vegetables.

Many pepper packers ship their product in reusable plastic containers on request.

“We’ve adapted our environment to switch between corrugated and RPCs,” Bailey said.

He said only a handful of customers request RPCs, however, and most of those are big box stores.

Burton said some of Peter Rabbit Farms’ customers have gotten away from RPCs, though they still are popular among some club store buyers.

“The red tape part of it is no fun,” Burton said, adding that RPCs can be difficult to keep track of.

Also, they are packed 40 per pallet compared to 56 per pallet for traditional cartons, so freight rates can be higher than they are for regular boxes.

Pasha Marketing packs a lot of bell peppers in RPCs, De Klotz said.

Most go to retail customers — both club stores and traditional supermarkets — throughout the U.S.

“We’ve been doing RPCs over 15 years,” he said. “All of our crews are quite comfortable packing RPCs.”

NatureFresh Farms, Oppenheimer and Talley Farms also pack RPCs.