Four Seasons Starts Significant Warehouse Expansion

Four Seasons Family of Companies—which includes Four Seasons Produce, Earth Source, Sunrise Logistics, and Sunrise Transport—has begun the process of expanding its Ephrata, PA-based warehouse.

Construction started late last month, and the project is expected to be completed by next spring. Four Seasons’ current warehouse is about 250,000 square feet, and the new construction will add an additional 131,000 square feet to the space—an increase of more than 50 percent.

Sunrise Transport truck leaving Four Seasons

The expansion, which was in the planning stages before the COVID-related retail surge, comes on the heels of several years of double-digit annual sales growth.

Jason Hollinger, Four Seasons’ CEO, says that many of the company’s retail customers are adding new stores or acquiring stores from weaker operators. “That was true before COVID—and it might even be a little bit more true now,” he says. “We’re seeing customer growth both in organic and conventional supermarkets, and we want to help these retailers just keep getting stronger.”

Four Seasons’ current warehouse is about 250,000 square feet, and the new construction will add an additional 131,000 square feet to the space—an increase of more than 50 percent.

The expansion will also enhance the ability of Sunrise Logistics (Four Seasons’ 3PL and freight solutions company) to service its grower-shipper customers, many of which are organic.

“At the Four Seasons Family of Companies, our mission is to ‘Help Others Succeed in Fresh,’” says Jason Hollinger. “Whether it is bringing the best and freshest produce to a retailer’s location and supporting their merchandising or providing the freight and distribution services to allow a grower to get their product to the marketplace, we want to be capable and valuable for them so that everyone can thrive.”  

Jason Hollinger, CEO, Four Seasons Family of Companies

Four Season’s warehouse addition will include 72,000 square feet of cold storage and a 48,000-square-foot multi-temperature receiving dock.

The new dock will allow Four Seasons to do more of its shipping during the day, significantly reducing its employees’ nighttime hours. (Currently, Four Seasons has a single dock that primarily does receiving during the day and shipping at night.)

The added 72,000 square feet of cold storage will include several new temperature zones and will also feature additional flex-temp rooms and ripening rooms for bananas and avocados.

Four Season’s warehouse addition will include 72,000 square feet of cold storage and a 48,000-square-foot multi-temperature receiving dock.

Four Seasons’ import company Earth Source, which specializes in organic and conventional citrus, will benefit from a new room with climate conditions specifically tailored to storing limes.

Four Seasons’ wholesale produce distribution company, Four Seasons Produce, has a strong focus on organics, with more than 50 percent of its sales coming from the category.

The company started its organic program in 1996 after founder David Hollinger had been noticing an increase in demand for organic produce. His son Jason Hollinger, who now runs Four Seasons, says organics was a natural fit for his father.

“My dad was raised in a farm stand/grocery store environment, and his family was very natural foods minded,” he says. “And when I was growing up, we were juicing and doing the natural foods thing. So when organics became a business opportunity in the early 90s, my dad was quick to adopt it and push it.”

Four Seasons order selector

Four Seasons’ wholesale produce distribution business specializes in servicing retailers, many of which are independently owned. One such independent retailer is MOM’s Organic Market, an East Coast natural foods chain with 21 stores, all of which feature 100-percent organic produce.

"Four Seasons has always been a strong and important partner for us at MOM's,” says Chris Miller, MOM’s produce director and meat and seafood coordinator. “We have especially appreciated the level of support and flexibility through the hardships of this past year and a half. I am super excited about the additional capabilities that will come with their warehouse expansion, especially as MOM's continues to open new stores and grow our footprint as well!"

“When I was growing up, we were juicing and doing the natural foods thing. So when organics became a business opportunity in the early 90s, my dad was quick to adopt it and push it.” -Jason Hollinger

In anticipation of the additional warehouse space, Four Seasons is actively hiring drivers, packers, order selectors, and other positions.

A people-centric company, Four Seasons has dedicated $3 million towards higher wages for its operations associates and professional drivers in 2021, and last year it offered appreciation pay to onsite workers and significant profit sharing to all employees.

Four Seasons Family of Companies leadership team

“We are so grateful for our frontline associates who put forth so much effort all through 2020’s pandemic challenges and now through 2021’s labor crunch,” says Jason Hollinger. “It is our associates’ commitment to excellent service and innovation that drives our business success and growth, which then enables us to reinvest in our people.”

“Our purpose as a family business is to be a blessing as we are blessed. We want to make a positive impact in the lives of our hard-working associates, their families, and our community.”