BACK TO THE FUTURE
From global to local, Nevada Fresh Pak delivers to its neighbors.
WRITTEN BY BARBARA TWITCHELL
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEVADA FRESH PAK
There once was a truck. David Peri remembers it well. It was a focal point of his childhood.
He smiles warmly as he recounts riding along with his father and uncle, delivering vegetables from his family’s farm in Yerington, Nev., to grocery stores in the Reno community. Chuckling, he relates joyful memories of truck farming, as he calls it. It was a simpler time.
But as times changed, so did the distribution avenues for produce. In reality, these changes helped Peri, president and CEO of Peri & Sons Farms, to grow the family’s modest farming operation into a highly successful, internationally known, produce business. In fact, today it’s one of the largest seed-to-store onion suppliers in the world.
Expanding upon his success growing onions, in 2006 Peri began growing organic leafy greens as part of a new venture called Nevada Fresh Pak. Today he grows about 1,500 acres — producing 10 million to 12 million pounds annually — of organic leafy greens for some of the biggest distribution giants in the country. And that doesn’t include the many other vegetables he produces, such as the million and a half pounds of broccoli each season.
New Route
While Peri continually is expanding the company’s mega-operations, he recently decided to do something rather surprising — taking a step back in time to resurrect his old roots.
“What we’re doing now is expanding to offer locally everything we’re growing on contract for the big guys,” Peri says, adding that they also are growing many vegetables exclusively for the Northern Nevada market. Everything is delivered, in season, farm fresh, directly to local stores. “So we’re back into truck farming, if you will.”
Organic and Safe
All Nevada Fresh Pak produce is certified organic by USDA and meets the highest safety standards set by the Global Food Safety Initiative.
“That means we abide by the strictest safety rules on the planet,” Peri explains.
Teri Gibson, the company’s director of marketing, points out that small farms are not required to meet any safety standards, which can leave consumers in the dark about the potential for food-borne illnesses. That’s an added benefit Peri’s produce offers.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to supply the Reno-Tahoe-Carson area with fresh, locally grown produce,” Gibson says. “Customers can have peace of mind knowing the produce comes directly from a family farm that has all the modern safety precautions in place.”
Local Access
For the first time this summer, Nevada Fresh Pak produce is available in most major local grocery stores, including Whole Foods Market, Safeway, SaveMart, Scolari’s, and Raley’s. Consumers can find it in the organic produce section. The vegetables also will be sold at many local farmers’ markets throughout the growing season.
Peri happily rattles off the wide assortment of leafy greens available: arugula, frisée, romaine, red and green leaf lettuce, spinach, and baby greens. Additionally, he offers many other vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, squash, beets, corn, peppers, tomatillos, cucumbers, and tomatoes. All are organic and, with the exception of the baby greens, are handpicked.
So why would someone awash with million-dollar contracts care about providing produce directly to his local community?
Peri admits that much of his decision is rooted in his desire to support the locally grown movement that is gaining in popularity.
“I’m glad to see Northern Nevada pushing so hard for local business, so I wanted to be a part of it,” Peri says.
Personal Touch
Peri predicts that the local food movement is the way of the future. People are looking for that personal, local connection, he says. It’s the kind they once had long ago.
“It’s really kind of exciting,” says the third-generation farmer about his efforts to revive the local truck farming ways of his grandfather, father, and uncle.
So about that truck … what exactly are his plans? He smiles and shakes his head, indicating that he is willing to take nostalgia just so far.
“I don’t think I’ll be delivering out of a pickup,” he says with a laugh.
For details, visit http://www.nevadafreshpak.com/.
Reno-based freelance writer Barbara Twitchell loves filling her table with the wonderful, fresh, local produce that abounds at markets and in her backyard this time of year.
