Coachella Farm Now Harvesting

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The Coachella Valley is well known for two things: their popular annual Music and Arts Festival, and 60,000 acres of fertile farmland that in 2007 produced a half billion dollars worth of fruits and vegetables. While we’re all music lovers at HerbCo, it was the incredible farmland and 300 frost-free days a year that drew us late last year to lease over 100 acres in this lush valley. Formerly tended by Cal-Organic Farms, this parcel is now growing 12 herb varieties, including basil, dill, mint and oregano, and is organically certified by Oregon Tilth. We’re proud to have 20 folks on our payroll who are producing great looking product destined exclusively for our HerbCo customers.

This farm makes such a great addition because it introduces a new growing area and climate to HerbCo’s rapidly growing family of farms. Having farms in multiple growing regions greatly reduces the risk of any one weather event - be it major flooding, a hurricane or massive windstorm – significantly affecting overall supply. Another plus to this location is its proximity by air to other HerbCo locations: flying through Seattle, product can be harvested, cooled and shipped to Denver, Dallas or Chicago within a 24 hour time period.

With only 40 acres planted to date, we can’t wait to expand our herb selection and acreage on the farm to its full potential!

Food Safety

GAP, GMP, HACCP. You may have heard of these acronyms that are becoming increasingly important in our quest for better food safety. But what do these terms mean?

GAP, or Good Agricultural Practices, focuses on the four basic components of production: soil, water, hands, and surfaces. By developing guidelines to address potential risks associated with each of these components, both the quality and safety of harvested produce can be enhanced.

GMP, or Good Manufacturing Practices, is the cornerstone of food quality and safety. GMP includes a food safety plan that incorporates water, product and facility testing.

HACCP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, is a systematic seven step process that identifies “Critical Control Points” in the production process—and seeks to eliminate the risk posed at those points.

HerbCo implements all three processes - GMP, GAP and HACCP - in its day to day operations.