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- Slicing and Dicing
Boskovich Adds Value to Onions
By Karen Gentry
Managing Editor
Fast food customers want food fast, so restaurant chain employees don’t want to be slicing onions to fill orders. Boskovich Farms in Oxnard, Calif. came up with a solution for one of its restaurant chain clients: sliced green onions.
A large fast food chain worked with Boskovich Farms in developing the product about two years ago, according to Lindsay Martinez, marketing manager for Boskovich Farms. “The customer came to us. It was the last produce item they had to process themselves,” said Martinez. She noted that the shelf life of the onions is two weeks, which makes the product a natural for retail.
Since then Boskovich Farms developed a four-ounce retail bag that is gaining customer interest and is currently sold only in the Los Angeles area.
“Right now, retail-wise, we are the first to do it (sliced onions),” said Martinez. She said some other operations provide sliced onions for foodservice clients. The recloseable bag is equal to about two bunches, and price wise it is very similar, Martinez said. She said the sliced onions can be sprinkled on baked potatoes and in salads and offer meal solutions for busy, working parents.
The sliced onions are marketed for retail under the operation’s Fresh ‘n’ Quick brand. They also package fresh spinach that is ready to eat right out of the bag.
Since its beginning in 1915, Boskovich Farms has evolved from its original five acres to 10,000 acres in California, Arizona and Mexico. Their headquarters is located in Oxnard, about an hour north of Los Angeles. The family-owned operation produces 30 different vegetable crops year-round, including all sorts of salad mixes, much of it for the foodservice industry. Today the company is led by George Boskovich, CEO, Phil Boskovich Jr., president and several other family members. Martinez said they’re the largest green onion grower in the United States. They also grow radishes, cilantro, celery and romaines.
Boskovich Farms’ facilities include more than five acres of processing, packing, shipping and administrative offices. Martinez said they are currently in transition and remodeling their facilities to accommodate their fresh-cut operation which was previously off-site.
A sales staff of seven work to market Boskovich Farms’ produce directly to retail chains, wholesalers, distributors, brokers and foodservice chains.
Martinez said that most commodities are marketed under the Boskovich label, although they also have an Onion King, Radish King, as well as their Fresh ‘n’ Quick label. She said most of Boskovich’s competition comes from the Salinas, Calif. area.
Besides green onions, the company processes radishes, cilantro, kales, salad and cole slaw mixes, shredded carrots and more. Some items are processed in different ways. Green onions can also come unsliced but with trimmed tops. Celery is available chopped, diced or sliced.
The very mild temperatures at their California location make it perfect for growing vegetables, according to Martinez. Many of their core items—green onions, radishes, cilantro, parsley, romaine lettuce and spinach—they can grow year round.
She said many customers have started asking for iceless cartons that include a liner bag, with the proper temperature to keep it cold, saving customers from cleaning up melting ice. She said the biggest growth in foodservice is in fresh cut, which equals approximately 50% of their business.
“Our product line grew substantially in the 1970s,” said Martinez. Customers were asking for one-stop shopping. Customers realized there were many items that could be pooled, stored and transferred at the same temperature.
For more information visit www.boskovichfarms.com.
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