Church Brothers Farms LLC of Salinas, Ca. hopes to tap into the market for convenient food solutions with its Chef Ready Green Bell Peppers. The peppers, green and red bell peppers with stems and seeds removed via automation, are ready for cooking.
“Coring peppers by hand is labor intensive. With labor getting more expensive, everyone is looking for solutions to reduce food prep costs and we saw this need in the market,” says Rob Lehmann with FreshPro Sales and Marketing, the Canadian Foodservice broker for Church Brothers Farms.
The product also taps into the trend of producing less waste, extends shelf life and freight savings, says Lehmann. “You can use it as a stuffed pepper, as a producer you can slice it into strips for veggie trays or catering, whatever menu applications it has. It has two appeals to both foodservice and retail.”
The exclusive benefit for this product is that with the core removed; these peppers need to be stored in refrigeration making them available to load with mixed vegetable items--unlike traditional peppers that are distributed at a warm temperature.
Canadian debut
While the company initiated a soft launch on the product in late 2016, the product was shown at the recent 2017 CPMA Annual Convention and Trade Show. The Chef Ready bell peppers are sold in a variety of options including a 3x9 box, a 48 count, 24-lb. box and a retail 9 count bag. And to date, says Lehmann, the product has received a positive response. “At the end of the day, this product supports minimizing both labor costs and food waste."
These peppers grow year-round in Mexico and are available to load out of McAllen, Texas.
