Page 6-Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 11, 1999
Tomato Council Ensures Uniform Pack
(Continued from Page 2)
500,000 pounds of green beans
a day,” said Jim Seabrook, Jr.
Of all their produce, the
single most popular is the
creamed spinach, of which they
pack 175,000 cases per year, or
about two million pounds. Sea
brook told the tour group.
But some of the other veget
ables on the processing line
included Stop and Shop brand
frozen peas; John Cope’s Sweet
and Creamy White Com brand,
packed for the Rheems, Pa.
company; Pathmark Veggies
brand mixed vegetables, com
ing off the line in four-pound
packages; Stop and Shop brand
cut com; Shop Rite brand cut
okra; Sysco Classic Corn
brand; and others.
Sea brook markets to Shop
Rite, Weis, Campbell Soup,
Pathmark, Giant, and other
major chains. Fresh vegetables
are packed from April 1-Dec. 1,
the heart of the season. There
are three shifts operating year-
« r ■* A
Your Complete Headquarters For
Sprayers And Parts
round,
The company is owned and
operated by 10 shareholders, all
family, of which seven work at
the plant, according to
Seabrook.
The average salary of the
plant workers is about $10.25
per hour, he told the tour group.
The company is in the pro
cess of becoming certified
organic. Seabrook Brothers
also does a lot of kosher
packing.
Package waste amounts to
about 12 percent, but 99 percent
of the problem is “selling it,”
according to Seabrook, in addi
tion to ensuring they have
enough supply of a crop.
Damaged packages, according
to Seabrook, go to food banks
in Delaware and Philadelphia.
Seabrook tries to obtain and
maintain spinach contracts to
have a dependable supply. Sea
brook said.
“There is a high demand for
this item,” Seabrook said.
The line at the New Jersey Tomato Council can pack up to 1,000 25-pound
boxes. Fifty employees handle various tasks, including grading, packing, and
shipping.
Proven pumping power
that won't pump your wallet dry
These new power units beat the competition with
Come see the engines that are proving they can pump your well
without pumping your wallet dry.
<>f\EW HOLLAND
eSjrCredit Company
More horsepower at a lower speed.
Better fuel economy.
Rugged, cast iron cylinder heads
and block.
Easy-to-reach, single-side service points
Renewable cylinder liners.
Lower price , too!
MESSICK’S
RD #1 Box 22SA,
Route 30
Abbottstown, PA 17301
717-259-6617
Rheems Exit - Route 283
Elizabethtown, PA
717-MMim
717-653-8867
8
I\EWHOLLAI\D