Behind the Scenes with Tanimura and Antle

The T&A families combined their collective years of experience and knowledge to establish a produce company in 1982 that farms over 30,000 acres of rich, fertile farmland. To achieve top quality year round they only grow crops on the very best farmland at the ideal time of year for that particular location. They pack their harvest right in the fields to maintain optimum freshness, flavor, color and texture. The consistency of T&A’s Artisan Lettuce, Baby Romaine and Little Gems is what has earned them the loyalty of chefs throughout the country.

Step 1: Harvest
T&A workers start harvesting when the sun rises, and sometimes harvest until sundown.

Step 2: Pack
Product is harvested to order and packed directly into containers and boxes in the field.

Step 3: Load
Product is loaded onto a T&A truck and driven over to the cooler where it is then scanned into the system as received and accounted for. This is a very quick process thanks to hand-held computer devices!

Step 4: Cool
The 4 hour cooling process starts! T&A has cooling devices that include a Hydro cooler, Vacuum cooler and standard cooler. All of their coolers are portable on trailers and moved between all of their growing regions throughout the year.

Step 5: Grade
Product is placed in designated areas in their cooler. This way, forklift drivers can easily put custom orders together. Once cooled, T&A conducts random QC inspections to ensure the highest grade product.

Step 6: Transport
A truck checks in with T&A’s dispatch office with an appointment and is loaded within 2 hours. This entire process takes an average minimum of 6 hours from harvest to loading- depending on the item and the season.

Step 7: Delivered
Depending on where the product will be delivered, it arrives within 2 to 6 days of harvest date. This is FRESH considering that most T&A products are recommended to be enjoyed within 14 days of harvest.