What Gold Coast Packing does

Gold Coast Packing, Inc. is a privately held, vertically integrated grower-shipper-processor of fresh and value-added vegetables founded in 1978 and headquartered in Santa Maria, California. The company cultivates, harvests, processes, and distributes a portfolio of core produce categories including broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cilantro, kale, brussels sprouts, green onions, parsley, and snap peas in both conventional and organic formats. It sells primarily to foodservice operators (65-70% of sales), retail grocery chains, regional processors, and meal-kit companies across the United States and Canada.

The company's processing backbone is the co-owned Fresh Venture Foods facility in Santa Maria — a 75,000 sq ft state-of-the-art plant (expandable to 105,000 sq ft) operated as a joint venture with Babe Farms, supported by an in-house microbiological laboratory and a 633-kilowatt natural gas cogeneration plant. Production capabilities include fresh-cut broccoli and cauliflower lines, a triple-wash spinach process, ready-to-use cilantro processing, and the proprietary Caulifornia™ sub-brand of riced cauliflower and blended vegetable products (Snow, Garden Rice, Broccoli Bits, and flavored Side Dish Kits) that have won PMA and Produce Business innovation awards.

Revenue is generated principally through B2B wholesale sales of fresh produce under Gold Coast and Caulifornia™ brands, complemented by a licensing agreement with Garden Fresh for Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes labels and a pandemic-era direct-to-consumer produce box program. The customer base includes a Fortune 100 restaurant company (sole-source for value-added cilantro), US Foods (Fresh Innovation Vendor of the Year 2016), quick-serve and high-end restaurant chains, foodservice distributors, retail grocers, and meal-kit operators. The founders, Ron Burk (President) and Bob Espinola (Growing Operations), remain actively involved alongside an executive team including COO Gary Burk, CFO/Partner Mark LeClaire, and VP Sales & Marketing Robb Bertels.

Name

Gold Coast Packing

Legal name

Gold Coast Packing, Inc.

Website

https://goldcoastpack.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gold Coast Packing is a privately held, vertically integrated grower-shipper-processor of fresh and value-added vegetables founded in 1978 in Santa Maria, California, selling broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cilantro, and the Caulifornia™ riced vegetable brand primarily to foodservice operators, retail grocers, and meal-kit companies across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Vegetable Processing

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Leafy Greens & Salad Processing Packhouses (Fresh-Cut) (AFAOAGAI)

Keywords

• Fresh vegetable processing
• Value-added produce
• Foodservice produce supplier
• Organic vegetable growing
• Contract vegetable packing

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Maria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: B2B sales of fresh, conventional and organic vegetables and herbs to foodservice operators, retail chains, and regional processors. Products include broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cilantro, kale, brussels sprouts, green onions, and parsley in various pack sizes. Foodservice sector represents 65-70% of sales.
2. Licensing Agreements: Licensing agreement with Garden Fresh for usage of Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes labels, generating royalty revenue
3. Consumer Produce Boxes: Direct-to-consumer produce box sales during COVID-19 pandemic at $18 per box, sold through Costa de Oro Winery partnership for drive-thru pickup

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gold Coast Packing is a vertically integrated grower, shipper, and processor of fresh conventional and organic vegetables. It produces value-added washed and ready-to-use broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cilantro, brussels sprouts, kale, green onions, parsley, and snap peas, along with the Caulifornia™ sub-brand of riced vegetable products and salad kits, supplying foodservice operators, retail grocery chains, and regional processors across North America.

Product overview

Gold Coast Packing is a vertically-integrated produce company offering fresh, value-added vegetables and herbs as a grower, shipper, and processor. The portfolio consists of core produce categories (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach, Cilantro, Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Parsley, Green Onions, Snap Peas) sold primarily to foodservice (65-70% of sales) and retail channels. The Caulifornia™ sub-brand represents the company's innovative riced vegetable line including Snow (cauliflower rice), Garden Rice, Broccoli Bits, and flavored Riced Vegetable Side Dish Kits. Salad kits include the licensed Joan’s Broccoli Madness and proprietary Sunny Superfood Salad and Better Than a Burger. The company also operates Fresh Venture Foods, a co-owned processing facility with Babe Farms. Products are positioned as washed, ready-to-use convenience items with both conventional and organic options available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Caulifornia™: Cauliflower-based product line including Caulifornia Snow (riced cauliflower), Caulifornia Garden Rice (blend of riced cauliflower, broccoli and carrots), and Caulifornia Broccoli Bits. Part of the company's innovative value-added produce offerings.

Products and services

• Broccoli Products Value-added washed and ready-to-use broccoli products available in florets, mini florets, pizza cut, slaw, diced, and stalks forms for foodservice (3lb-40lb packs) and retail channels.
• Cauliflower Products Value-added washed and ready-to-use cauliflower products including florets, mini florets, rice, and stalks for foodservice and retail pack sizes.
• Spinach Products Triple-washed spinach and baby spinach products in 2.5lb-20lb foodservice packs and 10oz-2.5lb retail sizes, including organic options.
• Cilantro Products Ready-to-use cilantro in loose and chopped forms. Pack sizes range from 2oz to 12lb.
• Brussels Sprouts Products Value-added Brussels sprouts available in shredded, whole, and halved forms for foodservice (5lb packs) and retail (12oz-2lb).
• Kale Products Value-added kale products including chopped and whole leaf (2.5lb packs) and baby Lacinato kale (4lb).
• Green Onions Ready-to-use green onions available in 2lb and 15lb foodservice packs.
• Snap Peas Fresh snap peas available in 2lb packs.
• Parsley Products Ready-to-use parsley available in 1lb packs, both whole and chopped.
• Caulifornia™ Snow Riced Cauliflower Riced cauliflower 100% cauliflower product line available in 12oz and 16oz retail packs. Award-winning innovation.
• Caulifornia™ Garden Rice Blend of riced cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots presented as a rice alternative in 16oz retail packs.
• Caulifornia™ Broccoli Bits 100% riced broccoli product in 16oz retail packs.
• Caulifornia™ Riced Vegetable Side Dish Kits Flavored riced vegetable meal kits including Garlic Herb, Ginger Garlic, and Spanish Rice varieties made with riced cauliflower or blended riced cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots with sauces.
• Sunny Superfood Salad Colorful vegetable blend for hot or cold meal applications, available in 2.5lb foodservice and retail packs.
• Joan's Broccoli Madness Salad Kit Broccoli-based salad kit in 12.4oz individual and 38oz family size packs, produced under the licensed Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sole provider of value-added cilantro nationwide for Fortune 100 restaurant company
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Costa de Oro WineryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration during COVID-19 pandemic to offer fresh produce boxes for drive-thru pickup at winery location. Provided community service during pandemic while maintaining sales channel.
• Babe FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Joint venture partnership forming Fresh Venture Foods, a 75,000 sq ft state-of-the-art processing facility in Santa Maria, CA. Both companies process in the shared facility and leverage synergies for mutual customer base benefits. Completed expansion to 105,000 sq ft capability.
• Garden FreshminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2013Licensing agreement for usage of Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes restaurant labels, allowing Gold Coast to produce products under these recognized brand names.
• FreshKistcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Gold Coast became partner in FreshKist, a newly formed large-scale western vegetable grower/shipper operating in Santa Maria and Salinas. Strategic partnership for expanded distribution and market reach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mann Packing: California-based grower-shipper-processor of fresh vegetables and value-added produce (broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, vegetable medleys) selling to retail and foodservice, directly comparable in product mix and channel mix.
• Taylor Farms: Largest U.S. processor of fresh-cut salads and value-added vegetables, serving the same foodservice distributors, QSR chains, and retail grocery customers with comparable ready-to-use product formats (broccoli florets, salad blends, riced vegetable SKUs).
• Church Brothers Farms: Vertically integrated grower and processor of fresh-cut vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, spinach) selling into foodservice and retail, with similar California/Salinas Valley positioning and value-added processing capability.
• Tanimura & Antle: California-based grower-shipper of fresh vegetables and leafy greens (including value-added offerings) selling into foodservice and retail, comparable in growing/processing model and West Coast geography.
• Earthbound Farm: Vertically integrated organic and conventional fresh-cut produce supplier (owned by WhiteWave/Danone, now independent via a 2022 acquisition) selling bagged salads and value-added vegetables into the same foodservice and retail channels as Gold Coast.
• Babe Farms: Santa Maria Valley specialty vegetable grower-shipper-processor and Fresh Venture Foods JV partner, offering overlapping value-added leafy greens and specialty vegetables to foodservice and retail.

Broad incumbents

• Bonduel Group: European-anchored fresh, prepared, and canned vegetable group with growing North American presence in fresh-cut and value-added produce, addressing the same broader category demand as Gold Coast.
• Fresh Express: Largest U.S. branded fresh-salad and value-added vegetable producer (subsidiary of Chiquita/Bonduel group), with national processing capacity and broad foodservice/retail presence that overlaps heavily with Gold Coast's customer base and product formats.
• Dole plc (Fresh Vegetables): Global produce major with a U.S. fresh-vegetables division (broccoli, cauliflower, salad blends, fresh-cut) that competes for the same retail and foodservice shelf and menu placements as Gold Coast's value-added SKUs.
• Grimmway Farms: Major vertically integrated produce grower-shipper (carrots, leafy greens, organic) and processor with substantial California acreage and processing infrastructure serving overlapping retail and foodservice accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goldcoastpack

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gold Coast Packing