ʻO Fresh Fruit Cuts ka mea hope loa no ka United Fresh Fruit Best New Fruit Project Award, no ka hoʻomaka ʻana i kahi laina huahana a ka poʻe i ʻōlelo ʻaʻole hiki ke hana.
ʻO ʻAukake i hala aku nei, ua hoʻopau ka pelekikena o ka hui ʻo Kim Gaarde i nā makahiki o ka noiʻi a me ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ka wā i hoʻokomo ai ka hui āna i hoʻokumu ai i nā peaches hou a me nā nectarine i ka mākeke.
ʻO ka hui, kahi i hoʻokumu ʻia ma Fresno, Kaleponi, ua hoʻomaka i kāna kau piha mua ma Mei, a ke manaʻo nei e hoʻouna i nā ʻeke, nā ʻili a me nā pā o nā hua pōhaku hou i ʻoki ʻia i nā mākeke a puni ka ʻāina i ke kauwela.
Ua hauʻoli ʻo Gaarde me nā huahana hou a ua kapa ʻia ʻo ia he hope.
"Ua mahalo nui au," wahi a Gaarde. "He mea hauʻoli loa ka ʻike ʻana i kā mākou huahana e ʻike ʻia e ka ʻoihana no ko lākou ʻono a me ka ʻoluʻolu."
Ke kūʻai ʻia aku nei ma lalo o ka inoa ʻo "Woot Froot," ke kūʻai ʻia nei nā peach a me nā nectarine i ʻoki ʻia i loko o nā ʻeke 3- a me 14-auneke, ʻelima mau helu ʻeleʻele multipack a me nā pā 10- a me 20-auneke, a me nā pā 2-paona. E loaʻa ana ka laina Woot Froot ma kekahi mau kaulahao kūʻai nui, me nā Sam's Clubs, Super Target a me ATB.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Gaarde, he 21 mau lā ke ola o nā ʻāpana huaʻai i ʻeke ʻia, aʻo ke ola o nā ʻāpana hua i loko o nā pā he 16 lā.
He ʻoihana ʻohana ʻo Fresh Fruit Cuts. ʻO ke kaikamahine a Kim, ʻo Brittnie Hammack, ʻo ia ka luna mālama mālama meaʻai o ka hui, a e hoʻokele i nā laina hana inā ʻaʻole ʻo Gaarde ma ka pūnaewele.
"Ke holo pū nei mākou i nā ʻoki hua hou," wahi a Gaarde. "Ke hana pū nei mākou i 16 mau hola i ka lā."
Hiki i nā hola lōʻihi no ka mea ua kaʻana like ʻo Hammack i ka makemake o kona makuahine iā Woot Froot. Kaʻana like nā poʻe ʻē aʻe i ka hauʻoli no ka laina huahana hou.
"He mea hauʻoli loa ka ʻike ʻana i nā mea a Kim i hana ai," wahi a Melinda Goodman o Fulltilt Marketing. "Ua hoʻohana ʻo ia i nā makahiki e hoʻokō ai i kahi mea a nui ka poʻe i ʻōlelo ʻaʻole hiki ke hana. He hōʻike maoli nō ia i kāna kūpaʻa a me ka hahai ʻana. "
ʻOiai ʻo Fresh Fruit Cuts a me nā huahana Woot Froot he mea hou loa ia i ka mākeke, ua komo ʻo Gaarde a me kāna kāne ʻo Eric i ka ʻoihana huahana o Kaleponi no kahi kokoke i ʻekolu mau makahiki. Loaʻa iā lākou a hoʻohana i ka Gaarde Food Sources, nāna e hoʻolako i nā huaʻai maka a me nā huahana hou i nā mea hana, a me Fruit Dynamics, nāna e alakaʻi i ka hana analytical lab no ka ʻoihana huahana hou. ʻO nā pilina pāʻoihana a lākou i kūkulu ai i nā makahiki i kōkua iā Kim Gaarde e hoʻohuli i kāna moeʻuhane e kūʻai aku i nā hua pōhaku hou i ʻoki ʻia.
"He huakaʻi holoʻokoʻa ka ʻoihana holoʻokoʻa," wahi a Gaarde. "ʻO ke kākoʻo mai kā mākou mea kūʻai aku a me ka ʻoihana kūʻai aku he mea nui loa."
ʻO ka hoʻomanawanui, ka hoʻomau a me ka hana nui. Me ka ʻoi aku o 500 mau ʻano peaches a me nā nectarine i ulu ma Kaleponi, ua hoʻohana nā kāne i nā makahiki e hoʻāʻo nei e ʻimi i nā mea i loaʻa ka ʻono a me ke ʻano kūpono. ʻO nā hopena o kā lākou noiʻi ʻana he mea huna kālepa, ʻoiai ua ʻōlelo ʻo Gaarde ua ʻike lākou ma kahi o 20 pakeneka o nā ʻano like ʻole i loaʻa nā ʻano i makemake ʻia.
"ʻO ia ka mea ma kahi o 80 pakeneka ʻaʻole hana no ka ʻoki hou," wahi a Eric Gaarde.
Ua hana pū ka poʻe Gaardes me nā mea kūʻai paʻi paʻi no nā makahiki ʻeono aʻe, e hoʻāʻo ana e ʻimi i nā mea hoʻopili pono e hoʻolōʻihi i ke ola o ka hua i ʻoki ʻia. ʻOiai ʻo ke ʻano kikoʻī o nā mea hoʻopihapiha i hoʻohana ʻia he mea huna kālepa, ua ʻōlelo nā Gaardes i nā microperforated āpau o ke kiʻiʻoniʻoni, a hoʻohana lākou i ka paʻi lewa i hoʻololi ʻia.
He paʻakikī ka ʻimi ʻana i nā mea hana pono.
"Aia kekahi mau lako i hoʻohana ʻia no ka hoʻoponopono ʻana i nā pīkī no nā hale kūʻai canneries, akā ʻoi aku ka paʻakikī a paʻakikī loa i ka huaʻai no ka hana ʻana me kēia huahana," wahi a Eric Gaarde. "Ua loaʻa iā mākou kekahi mau mea hana i hana ʻia no mākou."
Pono hou ka noiʻi a me ka hoʻomohala ʻana no ka hana ʻana i ke ʻano o nā mea hana ʻoki e ʻoki ʻoki a lua i ka hua. I kēia manawa, he semi-aunoa kēlā ʻāpana o ka hana.
Ua hoʻolimalima nā Gaardes i ka hoʻoilo o 2012-13 ma Chile, e alakaʻi ana i kahi hoʻokolohua hoʻokele kalepa o Woot Froot me Tunich Fruit. ʻO ka papahana, i alakaʻi ʻia e Cesar Olivos, ua kūleʻa loa i ka lā Pepeluali i hoʻoholo ai ka poʻe Gaardes e hoʻomaka i ka hana ʻoihana ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa. I ka manawa i hana ai lākou i ka hoʻohiki, hiki koke nā mea.
Ua loaʻa iā lākou kahi lumi maʻemaʻe kūpono, liʻiliʻi naʻe, i ka mahina o Malaki a hoʻonui. Loaʻa ʻia ʻo Fresh Fruit Cuts i kāna Primus Certification ma ʻAukake 4, a ua hoʻouna ʻia kāna kauoha mua i ʻelua lā ma hope o Sam's Clubs. Ua maikaʻi ka pane mai nā mea kūʻai aku, wahi a Kim Gaarde, a ua kau koke nā mea kūʻai aku i nā kauoha. I kēia makahiki, manaʻo ʻia e ʻoi aku ka ikaika o ke kūʻai aku, ʻoiai ke hana nei ka ʻoihana i nā ʻaelike me nā kaulahao hale kūʻai ʻē aʻe. Ke kūʻai ʻia nei ka brand Woot Froot a puni ka ʻāina, me kāna mau mākeke nui loa ma ke komohana o ka muliwai Mississippi.
ʻOiai ʻo ka hoʻomaka ʻana i kahi hui hou - ʻoi aku ka mea nāna e hana i kahi huahana i manaʻo ʻole ʻia e hiki - he hana paʻakikī, ʻōlelo ʻo Kim Gaarde he mea leʻaleʻa. Aloha nui ʻo ia i ka inoa ʻo Woot Froot, i lilo i huaʻōlelo hōʻailona no kēlā me kēia ma Fresh Fruit Cuts.
"He mea nui iaʻu ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi hōʻailona leʻaleʻa," wahi a Kim Gaarde, me ka hoʻohui ʻana i ka poʻe e kapa pinepine iā ia ʻo "Mama Woot."
E hoʻolauna ʻo Woot Froot i nā huahana hou i ʻoki ʻia ma hope o kēia kauwela. Hoʻolālā ka hui e hana i kahi hoʻolaha e pili ana i kāna mau huahana hou i Iune, ma ka United Fresh show ma Chicago.