Driscoll's

Driscoll's Berries, Inc.
Private
Founded 1944
Headquarters Watsonville, California, USA
Key people
 Miles Reiter, CEO
Products Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and other berries.
Slogan "Only the Finest Berries"
Website www.driscolls.com

Driscoll's is a privately held company that sells fresh strawberries and other berries. Its headquarters is in Watsonville, California, USA and it has been family-owned for over 100 years. As of 2014, more than 40,000 people globally are involved in developing, growing and harvesting both conventionally grown and organic strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries for the company.[1]

History

Driscoll's sponsored Porsche 997 GT3 Cup competing in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge[2]

The company was founded in 1904, when Joseph "Ed" Reiter and R.O. Driscoll began producing Sweet Briar strawberries[3] in California's Pajaro Valley.

Following World War II, Driscoll's recruited Japanese-American former prisoners upon their release from the internment camps to become sharecroppers for the company.[4]

In 2008 Driscoll's was one of the first two California growers to legally ship strawberries to the People's Republic of China under a program negotiated by then governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[5] In 2008 the company was also named "business of the year" by the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.[6]

As of 2014, Driscoll's supports the Indigenous Interpreting+ program at Natividad Medical Center, Salinas, California, which provides medical interpreters for speakers of indigenous languages such as Zapotec, Mixteco, and Triqui.[7]

In 2015, Driscoll's announced its involvement in “Connect the Drops,” a campaign that combines the voices of diverse companies into a single call to action demanding bolder water management policies and solutions for California.[8]

Since 2015, Driscoll’s adopted global Worker Welfare standards for their independent growers and publicly committed to farmworker improvements with third-party audits and assessments. The Worker Welfare Standards are based on the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions, Global Social Compliance Program (GSCP) Standards, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) Standards and a collaborative review of agriculture-specific standards from several non-governmental organizations. [9][10]

As an effort to further reinforce the fruit and vegetable industry’s long-term commitment to socially responsible business practices in Mexico, the formation of the International Produce Alliance to Promote a Socially Responsible Industry (AHIFORES) was established.[11] The alliance represents the vast majority of Mexico’s produce, covering exports such as asparagus, avocados, berries, citrus, grapes, mangos, papayas and tomatoes, among others. Driscoll's general manager of Mexico operations was elected president of the organization and will focus on building partnerships between independent growers and the Mexican government using Driscoll’s approach as the model.[12]

In 2016 Driscoll’s announced a pilot program with Fair Trade USA to initially bring to market Fair Trade Certified organic strawberries and organic raspberries that are grown in Baja, Mexico.

Products

Driscoll's contracts with various growers to produce strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, both red and yellow. The berries, available in either organic or non-organic varieties, are packed in the field as they are harvested. The company has fields in California, Florida, Mexico,[13] and Australia.[14] The company's organic berries are certified organic by the USDA.[15]

Driscoll's follows Good Agricultural Practices for food safety, which are enforced at all contracting growers' farms, cooling and distribution facilities such as their Santa Maria, California Distribution Facility. They also have a distribution facility in Dover, Florida.[16]

Driscoll’s recently announced an advancement in organic berries which furthers their market leadership in continuously improving organic production practices. Currently, Driscoll’s maintains the only organic strawberry nursery certified by CCOF, the nation’s oldest and largest third-party certifying agency. There are no other known commercial organic strawberry start nurseries certified under the USDA National Organic Program. [17]

References

  1. ↑ "About Driscoll's". Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Eve Thompson (May 9, 2012). "The zen of driving a race car". Mt. Shasta Herald.
  3. ↑ Smith, Dottie (March 3, 2011). "Travelin' in Time: Those sweet Sweetbriar strawberries of long ago". Redding Record Searchlight. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Driscoll’s Growers Gave Former Interned Japanese Americans a Start". Nikkei West. 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ "California strawberries clear Olympic hurdle". North County Times. August 6, 2008. |section= ignored (help)
  6. ↑ "Pajaro Valley chamber names man and woman of the year". Santa Cruz Sentinel. December 5, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Indigenous Interpreting+". Indigenous Interpreting+. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  8. ↑ Potter, Lisa Marie (March 6, 2015). "Driscoll’s leading charge for change in water policies". The Salinas Californian.
  9. ↑ "Driscoll’s Applies Fresh Approach to Ag Labor Relations". Fresh Fruit Portal. February 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Driscoll’s Underscores Commitment to Worker Welfare". Fresh Plaza. February 2016.
  11. ↑ Marosi, Richard (April 10, 2015). "Mexican farmworkers target Driscoll's, a firm with labor-friendly image". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Marosi, Richard (September 29, 2015). "Driscoll’s Executive to Lead Produce Industry Social Responsibility". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Strawberry fields forever: Acres of sweeet nostalgia at Driscoll berry factory". Lodi News-Sentinel. July 5, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Coast Lines: March 27, 2013: PV water agency seeks new director". Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 26, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Learn More About Our Organic Berries". driscolls.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Food Safety". driscolls.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  17. ↑ Beach, Coral (November 6, 2015). "Driscoll’s transitions to organic berry plants". The Packer (Skokie, Illinois). Retrieved 1 February 2016.

Further reading

External links

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