Driscoll's

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

Driscoll's is a privately held company that sells fresh 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.[2]

History

Driscoll's sponsored Porsche 997 GT3 Cup competing in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge[1]

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 helped Japanese-American former prisoners on their release from the internment camps by allowing them 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]

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're harvested. The company has fields in California, Florida, Mexico,[7] and Australia.[8] The company's organic berries are certified organic by the USDA.[9]

Driscoll's follows Good Agricultural Practices for food safety, which are enforced at all contracting growers' farms, cooling and distribution facilities.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Eve Thompson (May 9, 2012). "The zen of driving a race car". Mt. Shasta Herald. 
  2. ↑ "About Driscoll's". Retrieved 3 January 2014. 
  3. ↑ Dottie Smith (March 3, 2011). "Travelin' in Time: Those sweet Sweetbriar strawberries of long ago". redding.com. Retrieved February 4, 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Driscoll’s Growers Gave Former Interned Japanese Americans a Start". Nikkei West. 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2014. 
  5. ↑ "State". California strawberries clear Olympic hurdle. North County Times. August 6, 2008. 
  6. ↑ "Pajaro Valley chamber names man and woman of the year". Santa Cruz Sentinel. December 5, 2008. 
  7. ↑ "Strawberry fields forever: Acres of sweeet nostalgia at Driscoll berry factory". Lodi News-Sentinel. July 5, 2008. 
  8. ↑ "Coast Lines: March 27, 2013: PV water agency seeks new director". Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 26, 2013. 
  9. ↑ "Learn More About Our Organic Berries". driscolls.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014. 
  10. ↑ "Food Safety". driscolls.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014. 

Further reading

External links


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