小而棒

The Bender clan are potato people.本德尔氏族是马铃薯人。 From raising tubers especially for potato chips to the everyday table spud, they are experts in growing America's most popular root vegetable.从饲养特别是薯片的块茎到日常餐桌小菜，他们都是种植美国最受欢迎的块根蔬菜的专家。 Given that, it should come as no surprise that they have revolutionized the way we think about, cook, and consume potatoes.鉴于此，他们彻底改变了我们思考，烹饪和食用马铃薯的方式也就不足为奇了。 They are the cultivators of the sweetest, creamiest, and arguably the most versatile potatoes of all—the bite-size.它们是一口大小的最甜，最奶油，并且可以说是用途最广泛的马铃薯的耕种机。

As pioneers of one of the hottest trends to make the plate since macaroni met cheese, the team behind Tasteful Selections® has remained close to the land while innovating.自通心粉遇到奶酪以来，作为制版的最热门趋势的开拓者之一，TastefulSelections®背后的团队在创新时一直与土地保持距离。 From their roots in Nebraska as chip potato growers to their current position as the leading producer of bite-size taters in the nation from their Arvin, Calif., headquarters, they simply love their work.从他们在内布拉斯加州的薯片种植者的根源到现在在加利福尼亚州阿文市总部作为全州最大的一口大小ta生产者的地位，他们只是热爱自己的工作。

“在我生日那天，我们正在我的伙伴的小屋里煮牛排，我们没有什么可做的。 I just went to my bucket, grabbed some, and roasted them over the fire with the steaks.”我只是去了我的水桶，抓起一些，然后用牛排把它们烤在火上。”

“我刚大学毕业，当时只是在圣地亚哥从事销售工作和生活，试图弄清楚自己的职业生涯。 Then my dad called.”然后我父亲打电话给我。”

“我们知道我们要做什么。 I had always been interested in growing potatoes, and this was something different from growing table stock.我一直对种植马铃薯感兴趣，这与种植餐桌纸有所不同。 Not to minimize those growers, but table stock potato farming has a 0.2% growth rate, so it isn't as challenging as growing bite-size potatoes.”并不是为了减少这些种植者的数量，而是食用马铃薯种植的增长率为XNUMX％，因此，它不像种植一口大小的马铃薯那么具有挑战性。”

2007年，内森（Nathan）从圣地亚哥搬到了贝克斯菲尔德（Bakersfield）。 I've been offered plusher jobs for a lot more money, but it's not as exciting.已经为我提供了更多的工作，但这并不那么令人兴奋。 As a farmer, you feel like you're doing something that's good.作为一个农民，你觉得自己做的很好。 That's a lot of it.足够多了。 And getting to work with my father was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he explained.与父亲一起工作是一生中一次千载难逢的机会，”他解释说。

“我们真的知道这里有一家公司。 We just didn't have the skill or the time or expertise to go to market.”我们只是没有技术，时间或专业知识去推向市场。”

To fill their knowledge gap, the family (operating as CSS Farms) partnered with Wisconsin-based produce marketing and sales specialists RPE and Plover River Farms.为了填补他们的知识空白，这个家族（作为CSS Farms经营）与位于威斯康星州的农产品行销和销售专家RPE和Plover River Farms合作。 In 2010 the joint venture became Tasteful Selections®.在XNUMX年，合资企业改名为TastefulSelections®。

促进增长的伙伴关系

Wysocki公司家族的营销和销售部门RPE为TastefulSelections®的诞生提供了必要的人才。

RPE拥有遍布美国的销售和市场营销部门。 “这听起来像是一个陈词滥调，但是如果我们要让这家公司起步，我们必须加入A游戏，因为我们开始迅速吸引客户，并且发展迅速。”

2010年，该公司从一位客户发展成为在全美排名前19位的零售店中的20家提供产品的公司。 “我们向更多客户运送的货物超出了我们的预期。”

The tiny tubers were a huge hit, skyrocketing the company's sales projections and facility capacity into a whole new field of play.微小的块茎遭受了巨大的打击，使公司的销售预期和设施产能猛增到一个全新的领域。 With initial projections doubling, the company was challenged to stay flexible enough to handle its success.随着最初的预测翻倍，该公司面临保持足够灵活性以应对其成功的挑战。

“我在2014年成为合伙人，大约是在我们搬入Arvin工厂的同时。 We were in a smaller building that we thought would hold us for three to five years, but two years later we decided to build a new facility.我们在一间较小的建筑中，我们认为可以容纳三到五年，但是两年后，我们决定建造一个新设施。 Since moving into that facility in 2015, we have been expanding ever since, finishing Phase IV in 2020.”自XNUMX年进入该工厂以来，我们一直在扩展，到XNUMX年完成第四阶段。”

TastefulSelections®可以全年发展，为客户提供新鲜产品，并根据需求的变化不断进行调整。 Growing in more traditional locations lends to a more traditional model of a big crop that sits in storage for six to eight months or as needed.在更传统的地点种植有助于获得更传统的大农作物模型，该模型可在仓库中存放六至八个月，或根据需要放置。

加利福尼亚州全年的生长季节使前内布拉斯加州人具有应对需求所需的多功能性。

种植过程始于科罗拉多州的温室，种子在那里培育。经过三年的种子培育后，幼苗被运往加利福尼亚州的农场。 Arizona其中，内华达州种植的葡萄将用于零售。Tasteful Selections® 拥有从种子到包装的整个生产流程。

TastefulSelections®一年大约种植250天，每年收获约340天。 “目前，我们正在贝克斯菲尔德（Bakersfield）进行种植，我们正在高海拔地区进行收割，而且我们一直在不断旋转。 We'll go down to the desert and grow in the winter, and come here in the the spring, then make a loop.”我们将去沙漠，在冬天长大，然后在春天到这里，然后绕一圈。”

舒适食品，一致性和COVID-19

“您有一个大的赤褐色土豆，一个大的红色和黄色用于捣碎和煮沸，然后您可能有一袋小黄色或红色的红色，但它们并不一致。 There was nothing special about them,” Nathan said.他们没有什么特别的，”内森说。

“那些没有变小。 they were grown as big potatoes.他们长成大土豆。 The small ones that were left at the end of the run got thrown in the bag or in the box and sold.运行结束时剩下的小东西被扔进袋子或盒子中并出售。 We looked at that and realized they needed to be broken into five sizes,” he said.我们对此进行了研究，并意识到它们需要分为五个尺寸。”他说。

“在2010年的现有市场中，其他市场只有一种尺寸，我们将其分为五种尺寸。 It would have been a lot cheaper to throw all those small potatoes in a bag and go.把所有那些小土豆装在袋子里然后走，要便宜得多。 We went out and found varieties of potatoes that were being discarded in the market because they were too small.我们走出去发现马铃薯品种太小而被丢弃在市场上。 Everyone wanted big potatoes, big yields, lots of pounds.每个人都想要大土豆，高产，重磅。 We wanted to find small potatoes with a flavor profile unlike what you were finding in stores.我们希望找到一种与您在商店中发现的风味不同的小土豆。 That was always top of mind.”那永远是最重要的。”

TastefulSelections®拥有这些口味的权利。 “这使我们与新兴竞争者脱颖而出，后者正在研究如何确定尺寸并将其放入袋中，然后进行复制。 Other companies aren't going to go to the trouble of sizing them.其他公司不会去麻烦他们。 We have the smallest potato on the market.我们有市场上最小的马铃薯。 We capture everything we grow.我们捕捉到我们成长的一切。 We try to save every potato that is grown and find a home for it.我们尝试保存每一个种植的马铃薯，并为其寻找家园。 That's our goal.”那是我们的目标。”

该公司的专有品种，包括HoneyGold®，Purple Passion™，RubySensation®和GoldFingerling®独特的薄皮，使其易于制备。 他们提供的便利产品包括一系列预先调味和可微波处理的选项，每种选项旨在使各种经验水平的厨师都能轻轻松松地生活。 他们的Nibbles®是世界上最小的土豆，并具有柔软的质地，散发出令人愉悦的风味。

“我们认为选择新品种的马铃薯时必须首先考虑风味。”

Farmers are well acquainted with the unexpected, from the vagaries of the weather to economic upheaval, and now, to the impact of a global health crisis.从天气的变化到经济的动荡，再到现在的全球健康危机的影响，农民们都非常熟悉这种意外情况。 When COVID-19 struck, the team at Tasteful Selections® shifted into high gear, making sure employees were cared for, and that stores had product on their shelves.当COVID-XNUMX袭来时，TastefulSelections®的团队改头换面，确保员工得到照料，并且商店的货架上都有产品。

“也许有人存货并买了24袋行李，但是那天晚上仍然只有一个人需要养家糊口。 It's up to us to make sure that when that mother or that father needs a way to put nourishment on the table we have kept the supply chain going.我们有责任确保当那个母亲或那个父亲需要一种方法来将营养放在餐桌上时，我们保持供应链运转。

“发生这种情况时，对于我们很多人来说，在食品行业确实很困难，但我们领先于COVID-19……在第一批病例到达我们地区之前，我们已经戴上了口罩，我们试图在任何事情发生之前确保人们的安全，确保我们设施的任何部分都不会发生任何事情。 We can go to sleep at night knowing we kept our employees safe, and that's really important to us.我们可以在知道自己可以确保员工安全的情况下在晚上入睡，这对我们来说确实很重要。 Even though we have partners, we treat our business as a family.”即使我们有合作伙伴，我们也将我们的业务视为一家人。”

“我们的员工认为他们的工作不仅仅是薪水。 It's fun and exciting, and we're always challenging ourselves.这既有趣又令人兴奋，我们一直在挑战自我。 There's always something more going on.”总会有更多事情发生。”

可持续发展承诺

As you might imagine, one of the biggest things going on at Tasteful Selections® is their commitment to sustainability.就像您想象的那样，TastefulSelections®的最大活动之一就是他们对可持续发展的承诺。 Attaining zero waste is an ongoing initiative.实现零浪费是一项持续不断的举措。 The firm recently partnered with How2Recycle®, a labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to consumers to empower them to dispose of packaging responsibly.该公司最近与How20,000Recycle®合作，该系统是一个标签系统，可以清楚地将回收说明传达给消费者，以使他们能够负责任地处置包装。 “We're putting cogeneration and solar battery systems at our facilities to get more energy independent,” Nathan added, “and trying to be as carbon neutral as we possibly can.”内森补充说：“我们将热电联产和太阳能电池系统安装在我们的设施中，以实现更多的能源独立性，并力争尽可能实现碳中和。” Given that they plant XNUMX acres of crops, that neutrality is assured.鉴于他们种植了XNUMX英亩的农作物，因此可以确保中立。

A self-propelled harvester that doubles the amount of input and saves on fuel has enabled the company to eliminate up to eight tractors a day.自走式收割机可以使投入的数量翻倍，并节省燃料，从而使该公司每天最多可以淘汰八台拖拉机。 The water used to wash potatoes is reused, and what can't be used to wash is applied to field crops.用来洗土豆的水被重复使用，不能用来洗的水被用于大田作物。 Five thousand acres have been transitioned from a flood irrigation system to a more efficient linear irrigation system that also conserves 60% more water.五千英亩的土地已从洪水灌溉系统过渡到更高效的线性灌溉系统，该系统还节约了XNUMX％的水。

“无论是有机的还是传统的，我们都在不断确保自己是管家。 Feeding the country is our livelihood, so we do everything we can to make the ground better.”养活这个国家是我们的生计，因此我们会尽一切努力使土地变得更好。”

当地面产生一些最美味的叮咬时，您将乐在其中，您知道他们在做正确的事情。

来源：thebossmagazine.com