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Results
Giant  growth:  Southern  Valley  Fruit  and  Vegetable  joined  Green  Giantin  2005.  The  company's  recent  focus  on  quality
and  year-­round  supplymade  it  an  attractive  partner;;  Company  overview  US  Business  Review,  April  1,  2006,  Pg.  152(2),
881  words,  Srinivasan,  Kirsten
Rogers  to  revise  immigration  bill;;  Fewer  employers  would  be  affected  The  Atlanta  Journal-­Constitution,  February  3,  2006
Friday,  METRO  NEWS;;  Pg.  1E,  841  words,  JIM  THARPE

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US  Business  Review
April  1,  2006

Giant  growth:  Southern  Valley  Fruit  and  Vegetable  joined  Green  Giantin
2005.  The  company's  recent  focus  on  quality  and  year-­round  supplymade  it
an  attractive  partner;;  
Company  overview
BYLINE:  Srinivasan,  Kirsten
SECTION:  Pg.  152(2)  Vol.  7  No.  4  ISSN:  1552-­6313
LENGTH:  881  words

EVER  SINCE  SOUTHERN  VALLEY  FRUIT  AND  Vegetable  added  a  farm  in  Mexico  to  its  operations  in  2003,  it
has  grown  on  a  "giant"  scale.  The  Georgia-­based  company  has  become  a  national  player,  shipping  about  200,000
tons  of  product  annually.  It  was  invited  into  the  Green  Giant  label  in  January  2005.
[ILLUSTRATION  OMITTED]  
Southern  Valley,  founded  in  1987,  grows  cabbage,  squash,  cucumber,eggplant  and  other  vegetables  in  Georgia.
It  is  an  exclusive  U.S.  packer  for  the  Green  Giant  label  for  48  states.  "Green  Giant  has  what  they  call  the  Green
Giant  family  of  partners,"  explains  Jon  Schwalls,  director  of  operations.  "There  is  a  potato  packer,  lettuce  packer,
etc.,  and  only  one  of  each  with  lot  of  different  fresh  products.  There  are  15  partners  now  in  the  Green  Giant  family
that  have  products  so  the  Green  Giant  label  is  marketed  as  a  whole  product  line,  but  we  eachindividually  operate,
control  and  sell  our  own  product  with  that  label."
Green  Giant  partners  pack  only  in  their  respective  labels  or  the  Green  Giant  label.  Other  Green  Giant  partners
include  WM  Bolthouse  Farms  Inc.,  Colorful  Harvest  LLC,  Curran  Co.,  Growers  Express  LLC,  C.M.  Holtzinger  Fruit
Co.,  King  Fresh  Produce  LLC,  Modern  Mushroom  Farms  Inc.,  Pearson  Foods  Corp.,  Potandon  Produce  LLC,
Taylor  Farms  Inc.  andWayne  E.  Bailey  Produce  Co.  Scholl  Group  is  the  marketing  arm  of  theGreen  Giant  Fresh
label.  Americus  Bean  Co.,  Custom  Pak  Inc.  and  Roberson  Farms  are  sublicensed  by  partners  to  pack  in  the  Green
Giant  label.
In  addition  to  Green  Giant,  Southern  Valley  also  offers  its  own  Southern  Valley  label.  Schwalls  admits  it  is  a
challenge  to  brand  a  produce  product  like  a  cucumber.  Without  packaging,  consumers  have  trouble  identifying
where  the  product  is  coming  from,  he  explains.
"Consumer  demand  is  constantly  evolving,"  Schwalls  adds.  "Anythingthat  is  new  is  old  tomorrow,  and  that's  the  big
challenge  in  the  marketplace  because  a  lot  of  times  the  industry  seems  to  focus  on  the  new  thing,  the  latest  and
greatest  this  or  that,  packaging  and  display  and  presentation.  Where  we've  differed  is  that  we  tend  to  want  to  focus
inside  the  box.
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"That's  something  we  talk  about  a  lot  around  here.  You  hear  the  old  adage,  let's  look  outside.  We  say  let's
remember  to  stay  focused  onthe  inside.  In  the  end,  it's  not  the  packaging.  All  those  things  aregreat  and  trendy,  but
the  bottom  line  is  it's  all  about  the  product  quality  and  integrity.  That's  our  focus;;  whether  it's  appearance,  shelf  life
or  product  being  [produced]  safely-­-­we  have  consumer  trust  inour  products."
Service  and  quality  are  strong  points  for  the  company,  Schwalls  says.  The  company's  farm  in  Mexico  means  it  can
produce  a  year-­round  supply  of  products  without  outsourcing  from  somewhere  else.  This  makes  for  greater
consistency  rather  than  "one  day  getting  this  kind  of  product  and  the  next  day  a  different  type,"  he  explains.
"Because  we  aredoing  all  the  farming  in  two  locations,  we  are  giving  customers  a  consistently  packed  product,
similar  appearance  and  not  such  a  strong  change  at  [different]  times  of  the  year."
Varieties,  colors  and  quality  can  change  drastically  with  each  season,  he  notes,  but  Southern  Valley  has  greatly
reduced  this  variationby  controlling  the  supply  chain.
"That's  one  of  our  strongest  points  of  service-­-­being  able  to  giveour  customers  a  consistent,  quality  product  and
offer  a  wider  array  of  product,"  he  says.  "We  are  the  farmer,  packer  and  seller.  We  are  carrying  that  chain  all  the
way  through  internally."
The  company's  presence  in  Mexico  also  makes  it  easy  to  source  small  quantities  of  other  types  of  produce.  For
customers,  "it's  a  logistic  nightmare  getting  a  small  quantity  of  quality  product"  from  Mexico,  Schwalls  notes,  but
Southern  Valley  can  easily  ship  small  quantities  of  these  highly  perishable  items  with  its  other  products.
Southern  Valley  has  greatly  improved  it  cucumbers  in  recent  years  with  its  switch  to  growing  on  poles  and  nets.
"We  converted  all  our  acreage  to  that  in  the  end  of  2004,  and  we  see  a  big  trend  not  just  from  our  side  but  the
consumer  side  and  retail  side  of  people  wanting  pole-­grown  cucumbers  because  of  their  appearance  and  quality,"
he  says.  "[We  are]  putting  a  lot  of  focus  and  attention,  and  resources  to  develop  that.
"What  sets  us  apart  is  the  consistency  of  product  we  have,  especially  in  cucumbers,"  he  adds.  "That  has  brought
us  a  lot  of  business.  As  far  as  we  know,  nobody  else  in  the  United  States  is  growing  a  complete  [year-­round]  pole-­
grown  supply  of  cucumbers."
Being  a  year-­round  supplier  has  also  helped  Southern  Valley  maintain  closer  relationships  with  customers,  he
says.
Despite  its  national  success,  he  says  the  company  will  not  forget  its  roots.  "We  are  a  family  owned  and  operated
company  with  a  long  farming  heritage,"  he  says.  "What  got  us  where  we  are  is  our  honesty  and  morality,
commitment  to  excellence  in  products  and  having  an  enterprising  spirit,  but  one  of  the  bottom  lines  of  all  that  is  the
family  company  we've  set  up.  It's  our  people  that  build  our  company  and  we  will  continue  to  see  our  company  grow
and  prosper  in  the  future."
RELATED  ARTICLE:  PROFILE
Southern  Valley  Fruit  and  Vegetable
www.southernvalley.us
HQ:  Norman  Park,  Ga.
Employees:  1,700
Product:  Produce
Jon  Schwalls:  "We  are  a  family  owned  and  operated  company  with  a  long  farming  heritage."
LOAD-­DATE:  May  25,  2006
LANGUAGE:  ENGLISH
ACC-­NO:  146160930
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