Oxnard, CA – Deardorff Family Farms is pleased to announce the addition of Luke Patruno to their organic team as they celebrate their 75th year in the produce business. Luke will lead a business unit that focuses on sourcing, packing and distributing organic produce from the company’s new 115,000 square foot facility in Oxnard, California.
In a sense, the addition of Luke takes Deardorff back to its roots in the produce business. W.H. Deardorff started his produce business in Los Angeles in 1937. The idea was to consolidate crops from various growers throughout Southern California, add value through innovative packaging and market them in a unified manner. This new model proved very successful. Deardorff attracted growers from all over California. The company quickly became known for high quality produce, innovation and integrity. More recently, Deardorff has achieved organic growth with increased farming operations in Ventura County. Luke’s presence empowers Deardorff to renew its multi-district farming strategy to meet customer demand.
Tom Deardorff, II, president of Deardorff Family Farms says “our organic department has grown exponentially and we now need to add experienced people to expand our seasonality, augment the variety and pack styles, and boost overall volume. We will continue to increase the items we grow, pack and ship – and now, with Luke, will also be able to offer innovative packaging and value added items from our new facility in Oxnard.”
Luke has been involved in the produce business his entire life. His father worked as a wholesaler/distributor in Los Angles for Century Fruit and Produce – a very similar beginning to the Deardorffs. Luke joined the produce wholesale business in 1980 and ascended to organics in the early 1990’s. Luke is an pioneer – selling, marketing and distributing organics long before the NOP existed. He has successfully linked retailers with organic growers to drive demand, increase variety and seasonality, and build broad scale confidence in organic programs. As stated by Deardorff, “Luke doesn’t just work in organics; he passionately lives and breathes it. In that regard, he is much like the rest of us at Deardorff”.
Deardorff added, “timing is everything. With demand out pacing supply for organics we are about to open a new state-of-the-art facility, and now have an extremely experienced organic veteran in Luke to drive our business even further.”
Please contact Tom Deardorff, II for questions.
Source: Deardorff Family Farms
