<p><strong>Rio Vista, CA</strong><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> California Vegetable Specialties has had quite an impressive year. The specialty farming company, dedicated to the consistent production of highest-quality California Endive, recently enhanced its cold storage function with the construction of a cold storage facility. For the past 20 years, the growers had been utilizing cold storage at off-site facilities. California Vegetable Specialties produces both white and red; conventional and organic endive varieties. The company is also expanding its organic line production by 25% in the upcoming year.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p> Richard Collins, President, tells AndNowUKnow, "We are very excited for the expansion of our organic line to accompany the addition of our cold-storage facility. We are one of a handful of growers in the world that produce organic endives and with the innovations that have arisen this year, we look forward to bringing our unique products to more retailers and foodservice companies alike."</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p> The new cold storage facility has walls with a R100 rating, presenting a unique, super energy efficient building. The California Vegetable Specialties facility ended up using approximately18% less energy than the company had originally estimated. For endives, the first part of the growth process takes about 150 days in the field. The chicory plant grows from seed into a deep tap root. Tops of the leafy plant are then cut off, roots dug up, and placed in cold storage. They are stored here for a dormancy period. Roots are removed from cold storage for their second growth which takes 20 to 28 days in dark, cool, and humid forcing rooms. With this process, endives are available year-round.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.endive.com" target="_new">California Vegetable Specialties</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
