We choose our growing regions based on many criteria, the most important being where the weather will produce the best flavors for our melons. What we have found is that dry climates where there is little rainfall produce the most flavorful melons.

These climates are also best for food safety. Because the weather is dry, and usually hot, microorganisms have a hard time living. These climates also produce a lot of UV light, which inhibits the survival of microorganisms.

The regions we grow are Yuma, AZ, Imperial Valley, CA and San Joaquin Valley, CA.

Food Safety on the farm is extremely important. We start by completing a "Pre-Plant Audit", which is essentially gathering information on the ground we intent to grow our melons. If there are any possible contaminations, we either treat the affected area or plant somewhere else.

During the growing season, we continually check our fields for possible rodent and animal contamination. We put out bait stations and construct fencing around our fields in order to mitigate animal contamination. We also test our irrigation water to ensure it is safe..

Are growing practices call for us to grow our melons are raised beds. We build our beds high enough to not let moisture from the irrigation water to sit next to the melons. This mitigates the possibility for contamination because the soil around the melons doesn’t become moist.

All employees on the farm are trained in good personal hygiene practices. We require our employees to wash their hands before work, after breaks, before and after lunch and at the end of their shift. We provide our farm employees restroom and hand washing facilites at the field level to ensure proper hygiene practices.

Harvest Food Safety is important because this is where the most human contact with the melons happens. Before we start harvesting, we conduct a "Pre-Harvest Audit" on every field. This ensures the melons are safe before they are handled.

Our employees are thoroughly trained in good personal hygiene practices. Each employee is required to wash their hands before they start work, after any bathroom break, before and after lunch and at the end of the day.

Our harvest equipment is sanitized in between growing regions to mitigate cross contamination. The tables on the machines, where the melons are placed for sorting, are sanitized twice daily. We also use stainless steel tables on our machines because it is the most impervious material for microorganisms to survive.

Each knife used for harvesting is sanitized before the start of the day.

Our cartons are not allowed to touch the ground. We make sure any carton brought to the field is either on a trailor or on a pallet. Cartons that fall onto the dirt are disregarded.

The bathroom facilites used during harvest are cleaned every day.

Our post harvest handling is unique. First, we transport our melons in dry vans. The dry van helps add protection for the melons from the outside elements and helps start the cooling process well before they enter our cooling facility.

Our cooling facilites are required to be audited each year to ensure a safe environment.

To ensure our melons continue to be safe after harvest, we test for Listeria, E-Coli and Salmonella. Each lot is tested after it has been harvested and cooled.

We also put a date stamp and lot number on every box for traceability. This allows us to know where and when a melon was picked once it gets to retailers.

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