DIVINE FLAVOR'S 6 PILLARS

In 2018, Divine Flavor launched its 6 pillar campaign with all of their growing locations to establish an official identity with the product they grow and sell. The company has always been focused on implementing as much organic practices into their programs and having this all backed by the strongest food safety and responsible sourcing programs, but Divine Flavor wanted to embody a bigger meaning behind the brand. A promise that their retail partners and customers could rely on which incorporates the most important and significant requirements of the marketplace.

IN ORDER TO PRODUCE AND PACK IN THE DIVINE FLAVOR LABEL, IT WOULD NEED TO BE WARRANTED BY THEIR NEWLY INDUCTED 6 PILLARS PROGRAM; QUALITY, FOOD SAFETY, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, TRACEABILITY, ORGANICS, AND SUSTAINABILITY.

With the pillars in place, this would create a type of security that each fruit or vegetable was produced with consistency, reflecting continuity amongst each of the growing locations. It would be a system for ensuring each of Divine Flavor’s farms produced in the same manner using the same industry certifications, processes, manuals, and growing techniques.

Over the years, Divine Flavor has been expanding their product range to include some of the most flavorful and unique tasting products. Table grapes and bell peppers, being the largest commodities for the business, has helped set the standard for the company when it comes to quality and packing. It’s a category the company has grown with tremendously and has created the opportunity for packing in many presentations which are sent to markets all over the world including all of North America, Asia, and Europe. With this experience and knowhow, Divine Flavor was able to apply the same methods to its other growing commodities such as their mini peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other veg items.

The quality (and packing) pillar is the blueprint of the products being grown and offered to the customers. It is the main reason why consumers go to the store- so they can buy fresh and delicious produce. For Divine Flavor, their mission was to not only produce memorable tasting products, but to be able to offer their products tailored to any presentation or market depending on what the final consumer prefers.

In the agriculture industry, food safety has become an increasingly important topic due to the nature of the goods and the environments in which they are grown in, but also because consumers’ health is a top priority when it comes to consuming fresh agricultural commodities. The food safety pillar for Divine Flavor is based on GAP and GFSI schemes. On a yearly basis, each Divine Flavor farm or facility must conduct the Primus GFS audit including any new additions to the standard. As the final rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) have come into full effect, the company has emphasized all food safety programs must have specific programs which include those requirements.

Another pillar related to food safety is traceability. Traceability is transparency and this has become essential in recent years with companies and their consumers. Divine Flavor uses the most up-to-date GS1 systems and works with each grower to incorporate traceability in every part of the process tracking product from the day it was harvested all the way to the final consumer.

The heart of all the pillars is social responsibility. In order to grow the best tasting products derived of the highest quality, it all starts with the people who grow them. For Divine Flavor, their motto has been to grow responsibly- always treating the land and people with respect. Each farm of Divine Flavor must have Fair Trade USA or the SMETA audit certification.