6/19/2009
Imagine reaching into a tree and handpicking the ripest, most luscious-looking peach, plum or nectarine you’ve ever seen. Then picture yourself biting into the plump, juicy fruit and feeling the juice dripping down your chin.
Just your imagination? It doesn’t have to be. Except instead of plucking fruit from a tree, you can pick up Ripe ’n Ready peaches, nectarines and plums at Hy-Vee. The fruits are raised just for Hy-Vee customers by seven farm families near Fresno, California.
For example, the Thonesen family farm operation has been around since 1905; each family member contributes to the goal of maintaining a healthy environment. The family commits to caring for the soil, treating employees well and enhancing the farm’s wildlife habitat.
The Milton family farm includes a father and brothers working together to grow peaches, plums and nectarines. Brother Rod says the fruit “ranks with a first kiss, a grandma’s smile, the last day of school and outside fastballs over the right field fence.” The Miltons have farmed near Fresno for four generations, and Rod says, “I’m doing all I can to keep it safe and productive for the next four.”
A third Ripe ’n Ready family includes cousins Jon and Grant Parnagian, who operate a thirdgeneration growing-packing-shipping business. Passionate stewards of the environment, they want to ensure their land remains sustainable for future generations of their family.
The Thonesens, Miltons, Parnagians and other families who supply Ripe ’n Ready fruit to Hy-Vee customers are certified by the Protected Harvest eco-label. This set of stringent standards goes beyond organic production and refl ects the farmers’ passion for superior flavor, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
All fruits are handpicked, packed the same day and shipped within three days. “Our peaches, nectarines and plums should be ‘field to fork’ through your Hy-Vee within seven days,” says Shalyne Van Worth, quality coordinator with Ripe ’n Ready. She says Ripe ’n Ready farmers believe in their product so strongly that they offer a money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied.
