Draft:Gem-Pack Berries

• Comment: Fails WP:NCOMPANY, is heavily reliant on primary sources. Dan arndt (talk) 04:11, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

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Gem-Pack Berries

Gem-Pack Berries is a U.S.-based agricultural company specializing in the cultivation and distribution of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. With more than 65 years of experience, Gem-Pack operates year-round, providing fresh berries to customers across the United States and abroad.

History

1959

The company began as the Western Marketing Company, founded by the Kawamura family to expand the market for their strawberries beyond Southern California. The Western Chief label became a recognized brand for strawberries distributed both domestically and internationally. The Kawamura family built a deep agricultural legacy in California, starting four generations prior after the family emigrated from Japan in the early 1900s and involved themselves in agriculture. The families were moved to an internment camp in Arizona during World War II, which forced them to temporarily leave their business in a friend’s care, but they were able to return and continue growing their company after the war ended.

1990–1994

Mike Etchandy, then an emerging grower, joined the Western Chief team which marked the start of a long-term partnership with the Kawamura family. The company rebranded as Orange County Produce, LLC and continued to distribute strawberries worldwide and increased its presence in the California strawberry market. In response to growing demand for strawberries driven by increased interest in healthy food choices, the company expanded its acreage and sales.

2014

Paul Kawamura officially joined the family produce business, after graduating from NYU and beginning an early career on the East Coast.

2016

Gem-Pack Berries, LLC was established, focusing on year-round strawberry production. The company's portfolio expanded to include a collaboration with California Berry Cultivars (CBC, LLC), which introduced proprietary strawberry varieties into Gem-Pack Berries’ product offering.

2020-2023

In 2020, Gem-Pack added Red Blossom Sales Inc. to its operations to enhance its year-round production capacity and product lineup. This expansion allowed Gem-Pack to expand into Santa Maria, CA, Central Mexico, and Florida, creating a more consistent supply of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries to its customers. Red Blossom introduced the first electronic traceback system for clamshell packaging in 2010, which set a new traceability standard among shippers in the industry. Red Blossom, a berry operation led by Craig Casca and David Lawrence, evolved from a marketing business into a grower after industry consolidation.

In 2023, Gem-Pack Berries acquired Well-Pict Berries, a company founded by Tim Miyasaka in 1972. Gem-Pack’s acquisition of Well-Pict further strengthened its position in the industry, expanding its product volume and deepening its expertise in berry innovation and science.

Products and Growing Regions

Gem-Pack Berries cultivates and distributes:

• Conventional and organic strawberries
• Conventional and organic raspberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries

Gem-Pack Berries operates in several key growing regions, including: California (Irvine, Oxnard, Santa Maria, Watsonville/Salinas), Mexico (Baja, Central), and Florida.