Facts are funny. You want them to help with decision-making. But sometimes, the more facts you have on the table, the tougher it is to make the decision. Consider a single fact; I’ve seen plenty of examples where that fact is used to support or oppose the same argument.
You’re probably wondering what I’m getting at – frankly, nothing more than serving up some wonder (some mind-boggling) facts about my world of tomatoes. Enjoy!
- 15 Power Bees (pictured above) – They surprise everyone. These battery-powered, rider-less electric carts bring tomatoes from the greenhouses all the way to the packing house. Pulling six-9 foot carts weighing up to 8,000 pounds, the Bees are programmed to do the job entirely on their own. Once unloaded, they are sent back for more. From the Camarillo packing house to the furthest of our greenhouses, our Power Bees travel half a mile.
- 10,300,000 Seedlings – Unlike most greenhouse growers, we do not buy seedlings. We create them by choosing the right seed and nurturing the young plant to a point where it can be shipped to other growers and our regular greenhouses. This is a process that takes 42 – 56 days depending on the crop.
- 46,000 Tons of Tomatoes – 80% of our tomatoes are grown in Camarillo, CA. The rest comes from Delta, British Columbia where we propagate the 10.3 million seedlings referenced above.
- 236 million Bowls of Soup – If we were to use every tomato we sold last year to make an 8 ounce cup or bowl of tomato soup, we could serve soup to 75% of the American population.
- 3,176 Solar Panels -Located over a 5 acre pond and on the roof of our packing house, these voltaic panels generate 1 megawatt of power. That’s equal to the thrust of 1,340 horses.
- 2 Cogeneration Power Plants – In Camarillo, we recently installed the first cogeneration engines ever to be used in a United States greenhouse. Exhaust heat, CO2 and water are captured and used to feed the greenhouse eco-system. Once through the regulatory environment we will actually be able to export to the California grid!
- 130 acres of Year Round Tomatoes – While our company expanded to Camarillo, CA in the mid-90’s as a means to have California grown tomatoes all year instead of relying on Mexican imports, we are very excited about the additional 5 acres we have brought on under lights in Delta, BC for the 2012/13 winter season. British Columbian’s are going to be able to have fresh local tomatoes all year!
Well there you have it, 7 Wonder Facts of my Tomato World. Let me know what you think by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
And as always, with my regards,
