Ua kaulana ʻo Kaleponi ʻo Monterey County no kāna hāʻawi ʻana i ka lako meaʻai ʻAmelika. Me ka nui o kāna mau ʻeka mahiʻai i hoʻolaʻa ʻia i ka spinach, iceberg a me nā lau lau ʻē aʻe, hāʻawi ke awāwa ʻo Salinas a me nā wahi e pili ana i ka hapa nui o nā lau lau i ʻai ʻia e nā mea kūʻai mai US.
A hoʻopaʻa ʻia i waena o kēlā mau māla lau a me nā mea kanu ʻē aʻe a pau e hana ana i nā mea kanu i kōkua i ka ulu ʻana i ka ʻoihana ʻoki hou a hiki i kēia lā - kahi ʻāpana kokoke i $ 20 biliona o ka ʻoihana huahana.
A ke noho nei kekahi o ia mau mea hana ma kahi ʻāpana ʻāina ma waena o ka Moana Pākīpika a me Kaleponi Alanui 1, i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i waena o nā māla strawberry ma kahi kiola pōhaku mai nā kahakai pōhaku o ka moana. Na Watsonville Produce Co. o Moss Landing, Kaleponi kēlā mea kanu. He hale hana hou ia i kūkulu ʻia i ka makahiki 2000 me nā laina ʻehā – ʻekolu e mālama ana i ka spinach a me nā lau lau ʻē aʻe a me ka hui pū ʻana o ka saladi hui pū, a hoʻokahi laina i hoʻolaʻa ʻia. i ka ulu o Brussels.
Aia ʻo Watsonville Produce i ka ʻoihana ʻoki hou mai ka makahiki 1993, akā ua hoʻi hou nā aʻa o ka ʻoihana. Ua hoʻomaka ka mea hoʻokumu a me ka pelekikena ʻo Dominic Muzzi Sr. i ka mahiʻai ma Monterey County i ka makahiki 1960, a hoʻomaka ʻo Watsonville Produce i ka makahiki 1984 e hāʻawi i nā huahana mai kāna hana mahiʻai i nā mahiʻai ʻē aʻe. ʻElua mau makahiki ma hope o ka wehe ʻana o Watsonville Produce, ua haʻalele ka Muzzis i ka mahiʻai e nānā i ka ʻoihana hoʻolaha. Ma lalo o 10 mau makahiki ma hope mai, ua hoʻonui ka hui e komo i ka mākeke ulu o ka spinach hou, ʻo ia ka ʻoihana mua.
Hoʻolālā ka ʻoihana no kekahi mau mea kūʻai nui nui, me kahi hapa liʻiliʻi o ka huina o ka hana i kūʻai ʻia ma lalo o ka inoa hale - Dominic's. He hana ʻohana nō ia, me Dominic Muzzi Sr. e hana pū ana me kāna keiki, ʻo Dominic Muzzi Jr., ʻo ia ka hope pelekikena a me ke poʻo o nā hana, a me kāna kaikamahine ʻo Lisa, ʻo ia ka luna helu helu.
ʻO ka hana hou ʻoki hou ʻo Watsonville ma ke awāwa ʻo Coachella, a i ka makahiki 2000 ua neʻe ka hana i ka mea kanu hou ma Moss Landing. I ka hopena o 2002, ua hoʻomaka ʻo Watsonville Produce i kahi mea kanu ma Yuma, Ariz., E hana ana i ka wā e neʻe ai ka hana mai Kaleponi. Ma 2003, ua kūkulu ka hui i kahi mea kanu hou ma Yuma ma ke ʻano he hui pū me Metz Fresh, kekahi o kāna mau mea kūʻai nui.
Hana ʻia ma ka hale kanu Moss Landing a hiki i ka hopena o Nowemapa, a laila neʻe i ka mea kanu Yuma i ka hopena pule Hoʻomaikaʻi. ʻO nā limahana koʻikoʻi mai nā pae a pau o ka hoʻokele e hana i ka neʻe ʻana, a hoʻokipa ʻia nā poʻe laina i ka hoʻololi ʻana, akā ʻaʻole nui ka poʻe i koho, wahi a Dominic Muzzi Jr. no ka hoʻololi mua o ka Pōʻakahi kakahiaka ma kahi mea kanu ʻē aʻe, wahi āna.
Hoʻohana ka hui ma kahi o 120 poʻe ma waena o nā mea kanu ʻelua, me ka lumi hoʻolālā e holo ana i ʻelua mau neʻe a laila ʻekolu hoʻololi e hoʻomaʻemaʻe i ka hale i ka pō. Loaʻa i ka hui kahi limahana hōʻoia maikaʻi manawa piha e hōʻoia i ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻana o nā limahana laina āpau i nā protocols palekana meaʻai. Lawe pū nā limahana QA i nā laʻana no ka hoʻāʻo ʻana i nā kaʻina hana hoʻomaʻemaʻe ma lalo o ka mākaʻikaʻi ʻana o ka luna mālama meaʻai, kahi kūlana i loaʻa i ka hui ma mua o 10 mau makahiki.
Hoʻolaʻa ʻia ʻo Watsonville Produce i ka palekana meaʻai ma nā pae āpau, a hōʻike ʻia. Hoʻolālā ʻia ka mea kanu me nā mea palekana hou loa - he kila kila a hiki ke holoi ʻia nā panela āpau, me nā kaupaku - a ʻo nā hydrocoolers he kila kila. Loaʻa i nā laina ʻokiʻoki hou nā mea hoʻoponopono hou e hoʻohana ana i nā lasers a me nā kukui ultraviolet e ʻike ʻaʻole wale i nā mea ʻē aʻe akā i nā lau ʻōmaʻomaʻo lau i kūpono ʻole i nā kikoʻī kiʻekiʻe i hoʻonohonoho ʻia e ka hui. Akā ʻo ka ʻenehana e lawe wale iā ʻoe i kēia manawa, wahi a Muzzi Jr. Pono e hiki i kēlā me kēia limahana ke hana ma ke ʻano palekana i ka meaʻai, a pono e kamaʻilio me nā pilikia a lākou i ʻike ai a i ʻole nā manaʻo no ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ka palekana meaʻai. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Muzzi e pono ke kaulike ma waena o ka ʻenehana a me ka ʻāpana kanaka.
“Ua ʻano hoʻokaʻawale au i ka waena. Maikaʻi ka ʻenehana, akā inā ʻoe e hele wikiwiki loa hiki iā ʻoe ke holo i nā ala ala. Pono mākou e nānā i ka palekana o ka meaʻai a me ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe, a me ka hoʻonaʻauao limahana, "wahi āna.
Hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻia nā limahana i nā kumu o ka holoi lima, a ua aʻo ʻia hoʻi lākou e holoi i ko lākou mau wahi no laila ʻaʻohe manawa e ulu ai ka wai i loko o ka mea kanu. ʻO ka mālama ʻana i nā limahana e like me ka ʻohana ua kōkua i ke aʻo ʻana, wahi a Muzzi Sr. ʻOi aku ka makemake o kēlā me kēia kanaka e hoʻoikaika i ka holoi lima pololei a i ʻole ka mākaʻi i ko lākou wahi inā maopopo lākou inā loaʻa kekahi mea i ka ʻoihana, pili pono ia iā lākou, wahi āna.
Hana nā limahana QA i nā loiloi kūloko i kēlā me kēia mahina e nānā ʻia e nā mana like ʻole, no laila aia mau ʻano ʻokoʻa o nā maka e ʻike i ka loiloi, wahi a Muzzi Jr. Hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā mea kanu ʻelua i kēlā me kēia makahiki e nā mea loiloi ʻaoʻao ʻekolu ʻo Primus Labs a me ka American Institute for Baking, a me ka loiloi a i ʻole ka hele wāwae ʻana e nā mea kūʻai aku. Hiki ke ʻike ʻia ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻana a me ka palekana o ka meaʻai a Watsonville Produce ma nā hopena loiloi: I nā makahiki ʻehiku i hala o ka loiloi mai Primus Labs, ua loaʻa i ka hui he 98 pakeneka - ʻoi aku ia ma mua o 28 mau loiloi, wahi a Muzzi Jr.
"E hōʻike ana i ka pae o ka palekana meaʻai a mākou e hoʻāʻo nei e mālama," wahi āna.
ʻAʻole makemake ʻo Muzzi Jr. e nalowale i ka lewa ʻohana i hana maikaʻi loa no Watsonville Produce, akā manaʻo ʻo ia e ʻike i ka ulu ʻana o ka ʻoihana. ʻAʻole ʻo ia e ʻimi e komo i nā huahana hou, akā makemake ʻo ia e hoʻomau i ka hoʻonui ʻana i ka leo me kāna mau mea kūʻai aku i kēia manawa - a hoʻohui paha i nā mea kūʻai aku i ka wā e hiki mai ana.
"ʻIke wau iā mākou e hana ana i nā mea like me ka ulu mau ʻana," wahi āna.
ʻOiai ʻo ia ka mea nui o nā kaʻina hana ʻāina nui ma waena o Kaleponi, nā hui e like me Watsonville Produce ke kālai nei i kā lākou niche ponoʻī ma ka nānā ʻana i ka lawelawe mea kūʻai aku a me ka palekana meaʻai. Me nā mea kūʻai kūʻai kūʻai a me nā meaʻai meaʻai e koi ana i nā ana palekana meaʻai, ʻo ia ka Watsonville Produce's o ka ʻoihana i kahi kūlana kiʻekiʻe e ulu i ka māhele ʻoki hou.