In Their Words: Nicole Zapata

OPN Connect: Misionero was one of the first companies in the Salinas Valley to embrace organic. What’s the history of organic with Misionero and the company’s commitment early on?

NZ: “In the late 80s Todd Koons, currently Creative Director at Misionero, was at the beginning of the revolution with a company called TKO, one of the first to commercialize spring mix in the United States. He soon met Tom Minnich, then President of Sales and Marketing at Misionero and the company’s current CEO. The organic vision came together when Floyd Griffin, founder of Misionero, was presented with an opportunity to being on the visionary side of this movement and where it could take the business. Today, we continue to lead with organic including 18 different SKU’s of blended salad offerings, along whole lettuce and various cut vegetable items.”

OPN Connect: Why do you have a strong commitment to small and medium sized growers as part of the company’s strategy?

NZ: “That is where we started, but we now partner with a combination of small to large scale growers. Our small growing partners are nimbler, while we lean into our larger growing partners to invest and implement new standards in food safety and technologies.”

OPN Connect: What changes and trends are you experiencing now? What are the new products fueling growth?

NZ: "Plant-based is here and a big part of the future. We are partnering with various suppliers to develop great tasting plant fueled meals that are not only great for our consumer's health but are unique and start with flavor profiles. Healthy and tasty!

Social Accountability has also been a focus for us; we are developing initiatives and partnerships that elevate our business in this way, working with like-minded partners such as; rPlanet for packaging & EFI for our employee development.”

OPN Connect: If you had a crystal ball what does the future for organic fresh produce look like?

NZ: “HUGE. The organic space continues to grow and is no longer a niche. We see growth opportunities in both foodservice and retail. We are always innovating new products and on the hunt for unique new items. We have the right team, platform and vision. Our environment promotes creativity for innovation, to develop new products, and build the category."