Pacific NW In addition to our beautiful acreage in the Columbia Gorge, Townsend Farms works with other family farms up and down the I-5 corridor, across the United States, and around the world. The Townsend family personally selects the farms we work with based on shared vision and goals, high standards of quality, a commitment to Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P.) and sustainable farming methods. Around the world Our globally-situated source farms are utilized to provide the freshest produce available no matter the growing season in the Pacific NW, enabling us to provide the best product possible year-round. Under the Townsend Farms umbrella, you can expect the same quality as the produce from our original farm. We confidently provide each source farm on every package of berries, frozen or fresh, private label or our own. Our Organic production and handling requirements are certified by the Oregon Tilth (OTCO). Sustainable commitment All of our family farms share our historical commitment to environmentally-sustainable agricultural practices. We believe in our role as responsible stewards of the land. Our conventional farming methods use the minimal products necessary in strictly guidelined amounts.
Food Safety G.A.P. – Good Agricultural Practices At Townsend Farms our customers are an extension of our family and we take food safety very seriously. Our farm as well as our affiliate source farms all utilize Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) following stringent safety strategies to prevent and reduce the risk of microbial contamination. Frozen G.M.P. - Good Manufacturing Practice All of our Townsend farm facilities are additionally subjected to regular third-party inspection following the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines enforced by the FDA to ensure hygienic food processing procedures. Produce Traceability We know exactly where every berry originates, and we ensure our consumers can as well. We were early adopters of the Produce Traceability Initiative. Every package of our fruit, whether Private Label or Townsend Farms, fresh or frozen, contains a number that points to the farm on which it was grown. We do everything we can to prevent issues from the source. But if a problem ever does arise, it can be traced and resolved immediately. Food Safety at Home You can help keep fresh produce safe once you get it home. Bag and store fresh fruits separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood products. Store in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40°F or below. Thoroughly wash all produce, whether conventionally or organically grown, under running water just before eating, cutting, or cooking. (Soap, detergent, or commercial produce washes are not recommended)
{Source: www.fda.gov}
Every package of our fruit, whether Private Label or Townsend Farms, fresh or frozen, contains a Produce Traceability number that points to the farm on which it was grown. We do everything we can to prevent issues from the source. But if a problem ever does arise, it can be traced and resolved immediately. Frozen Our frozen products are individually quick frozen (IQF) at the peak of ripeness for ultimate flavor and texture. We fully own our processing facilities and observe the strictest manufacturing guidelines to package year-round in a tempered room. Our user-friendly, zippered polybags are lined to maintain freezer freshness and meet FDA and USDA guidelines for food contact. Fresh We hand pick, package, and time delivery of our fresh products for ultimate quality at the store. [need info here on packaging used for fresh products – clamshell? etc.] Delivery We deliver around the country through our own company, Townsend Trucking, as well as through our select trucking partners. Deliveries are precisely timed for both frozen and fresh products for the highest caliber fruit possible.
AIB INTERNATIONAL Committed to protecting the safety of the food supply chain worldwide
OEDEN ADVANCED PEST TECHNOLOGY Outside pest management
OREGON TILTH Certification for all Townsend Organic products
THE HEART K Kosher certification for facility by Rabbi Avrohom Teichman
PRIMUS LAB Fresh market audits
Blueberries are the fruits of a shrub that belongs to the heath family, which includes the cranberry and bilberry, azalea, mountain laurel, and rhododendron. Gradating in color from deep blue to maroon to purple black, the small round berries are protected by a white-gray protective coat. Flavors range from mildly sweet to tart and tangy.
PeachA peach is a sweet, juicy fruit with soft, fuzzy skin, golden-orange flesh, and a single central pit. Known for its fragrant aroma and slightly tangy flavor, it’s rich in vitamins and often enjoyed fresh or in desserts.
An ancient fruit prescribed by the early Greeks for gout, blackberries are called an “aggregate fruit” because each berry is really a cluster of tiny fruits (or drupelets). Each drupelet contains a seed. Unlike raspberries, blackberry drupelets remain centered around the core even after the berry is picked, so the core is filled rather than hollow.
Fragrantly sweet and juicy, strawberries are one of the world’s most popular berry fruits. They are easily identified by their unique shape and deep red color, with yellow seeds that pierce the surface. Cultivated strawberries are typically much larger than their wild counterparts
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus and ranges in type from sweet to sour. Cherries are small, fleshy, red fruits that contain a hard drupe, or seed, and are related to peaches, apricots, and plums. It is believed that the sweet cherry originated somewhere between the Black and Caspian Seas in Asia Minor around 70 BC and were introduced to the Western Hemisphere by the Romans in the first century A.D.
Indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, mangoes are now cultivated worldwide. The fruit is one of the few also consumed unripe (in chutneys, pickles, or with salt, chili, or soy sauce), but is most often eaten ripe, fresh or frozen. They can also be used in a variety of dishes and drinks. Mangoes are generally sweet, but taste and texture vary greatly, from soft and pulpy, akin to a cantaloupe or avocado, to more fibrous.
A member of the rose family and a bramble fruit like the blackberry, red raspberries are an aggregate fruit, composed of clusters of smaller fruits each containing a seed. Unlike blackberries, whose core stays inside the fruit, picked red raspberries have hollow centers.
The flavor is a complex and delightful symphony. The initial taste is an explosive, sugary sweetness that is immediately balanced by a vibrant, tangy acidity. This perfect sweet-and-sour combination is followed by subtle floral and citrus notes. The texture is juicy and succulent, with a firm, almost crisp bite that melts in your mouth.
The purest expression of sweet-and-sour. Their flavor is often described as simple, crisp, and clean, with notes of light, sweet pear or green apple. They are typically the least complex but most refreshing