Wholesum, Fairtrade-certified grower and shipper of organic produce, inaugurated its newly renovated tomato greenhouses at Wholesum Farms Pacific. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Wednesday, December 9th in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. The event consisted of a virtual live stream on the company’s Facebook page as well as an in-person event with attendance from local vendors and stakeholders.
Theojary Crisantes, COO (left) and Jonathan Alcaron cut the ribbon on the new facility in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.
This expansion represents a new chapter at Wholesum as the company prepares for growth. The new 37-acre greenhouse infrastructure maximizes the use of natural resources for sustainable agriculture and is equipped for intense tomato production. With climate control, irrigation and filtration systems, the greenhouse will create optimal growing conditions for the tomatoes, says Wholesum.
“The expansion in Culiacan is a great milestone for Wholesum,” says Ricardo Crisantes, chief commercial officer of Wholesum. “We believe healthy, sustainably grown organic food should be accessible and attainable. To achieve this dream, we must continually innovate, find new tools and solutions for organic agriculture and prepare for growth.”
Expanding production capacity
As a result of the expansion and renovations, Wholesum expects a 25-30 percent increase in tomato volume from the first harvest scheduled for the second to last week of December and an up to 50 percent increase in the next cycle of production. The increase in production will not only create more employment opportunities but also generate more Fairtrade community development funds to invest in impactful projects addressing worker and community needs. Wholesum has raised more than $5 million dollars in Fairtrade community development funds since the inception of the program. These funds have been used towards laundry facilities, a learning center equipped with computers, school buses, a dental clinic and home improvements in the workers’ communities.
The Wholesum team in the new Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico-based facility.
“From my grandfather’s humble beginnings back in 1928, we have come such a long way in our production and capabilities,” says Theojary Crisantes, chief operations officer of Wholesum. “I only wish he could see how far we have come in our ability to innovate. I know he would be very proud of every single person on the Wholesum team.”
For more information:
Joanna Jaramillo
Wholesum Harvest
Tel: +1 (520) 394-7329
joannaj@wh.farm
www.wh.farm