Nogales, Arizona. As part of a yearly tradition at Divine Flavor, members of management, sales and the quality assurance team tour around Mexico visiting with each of the company’s farm locations. In past seasons, this time marked as an opportunity to review upcoming programs with sales, harvest forecast and projections, as well as areas for improvement, but this year with the impact of Covid-19 and the pandemic still looming, more focus was spent discussing food safety and social safety for the workers.
In Mexico, most of the farm locations of Divine Flavor were unaffected due to the season being almost finished last May and June. As the final harvest days approached, farm managers of each facility acted swiftly to implement safety measures for the workers, but as the next season is rapidly approaching, teams are preparing protocol to ensure workers are ready to follow any additional procedures.
“At that time, we were all still trying to understand many things about COVID-19, and I think it was good practice as we head into this next season,” said Michael DuPuis, QA Manager for Divine Flavor.
“After visiting each of our ranches, it was comforting to see our teams are following the essential guidelines which allow our farmers to work safety. Everyone wears mask, everyone washes hands and are social distancing, most of which are all related to food safety and good manufacturing practices,” said DuPuis.
“At that time, we were all still trying to understand many things about COVID-19, and I think it was good practice as we head into this next season.”
Regarding the visit, not all discussions were focused on covid related areas and time was also allocated to touring greenhouses and packing shed operations. “For the teams who spend most of our time in the office, it is very beneficial for them to see how the process operates. This opportunity allows for better communication and better results for our customers,” said DuPuis.
In the coming days, fall production will start ramping up as Divine’s bell pepper and veg program began late last month in Jalisco. In November, the company’s farms in Culiacan, Sinaloa will begin with cucumbers and organic bell peppers in the first days of December.
For more information, please contact:
Michael DuPuis
Public Relations Coordinator
+1 (520)-281-8328
mdupuis@divineflavor.com
