The produce industry continues to work tirelessly in an effort to get food on retail shelves. As food retailers become more essential than ever, the foodservice industry is being forced to severely scale back operations. At some point COVID-19 infections will slow down and the country will return to a level of normalcy. When it does there will be companies ready to help the depleted foodservice sector.

Take Kingston Fresh. The Idaho Falls, ID-based supplier primarily provides potatoes and onions to the foodservice side of the industry. Yesterday, The Produce News received an email from Nick Proia of Kingston Fresh.

“To support our customers in these areas we have developed a detailed plan to help with inventory management as restaurants, colleges and universities scale back their operations," said Proia. "A secondary phase of our plan is in place to get out ahead of demand that will ultimately come as these same customers begin to reopen and come back on-line. From Raw product supplies and contracting volumes during uncertain times to prearranging logistics to be ready when they are needed in the future we intend to be out ahead of demand and provide our customers with information and product to assist in their planning and a return to normal or better."

A lesser known segment of Kingston Fresh’s business is Pineapple farming, importing and distribution operation.

Regarding its pineapple business, Proia said, “For Pineapple operations we are reallocating foodservice inventories to retail customers and processors to meet demand as consumers are now buying for home use and eating out less. In Q4 of 2019 we added capacity at the farm level in anticipation of a lower volume industry wide of available pineapple coming from Costa Rica due to a reduction in total planted acreage. Now production from this acreage will be available as we work to keep the supply lines full as needed."

He added that the company remains fully operational.
 
Thank you for sharing, Nick. It is that positive outlook and thinking about what will be done WHEN this crisis is over that will keep the industry thriving.

Again, whatever role you play in the produce industry, get in touch with us at newsdesk@theproducenews.com or levitt@theproducenews.com. Tell us what you are doing, what challenges you are facing and what is being done to solve them to keep the industry functioning as smoothly as possible. We will let our readers know the efforts being made to keep our businesses going.

Stay safe.