HERMOSILLA, MX - Rico Farms is furthering its commitment to high-quality fresh produce, announcing a new on-site microbiological testing lab at its Hermosillo ranch location. The new testing lab adds even more quality assurance to each and every point of the Rico Farms growing process, providing the company an in-depth look at all the factors that go into creating high-quality fresh produce.
“We want to have as much detailed information on our product before shipping as possible,” explains Jacobo Yanes, the company’s Operations Manager. “Increasing the frequency of testing helps us ensure that all of our preventative measures are consistently working. Our Quality Control department will be able to put product on precautionary hold at any point in the process until everything has been cleared.”
In the past, Rico Farms has used outside laboratories, but with the addition of the new lab, the company is able to dramatically increase the frequency and speed of the tests. Under the expansion, Rico Farms can administer tests on water, soil, compost, the plants, raw product, and packed product. Currently, the company is starting to perform its routine tests in-house.“Rico Farms has always challenged themselves to continual improvement,” shares Ben Johnson, President of Bridges Produce, which is the exclusive sales partner of Rico Farms for selling its organic produce in the United States and Canada. “They are never ones to be content and decide that things are ‘good enough.’ Their decision to build a lab so that they can perform microbiological testing is just one example of how they are continually pushing themselves to achieve new levels of excellence.”
And this isn’t the only innovation Rico Farms and Bridges Produce have introduced for the 2018 season, either. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to see how the companies joined forces are continuing to push for better working conditions, better quality control, and better fresh produce.