Mills Family Farms News Room
Premium Fresh Produce
PRODUCE – THE BEST
Hotel F&B Executive Magazine
March/April 2006
Dave Mills, of Mills Family Farms, credits the late Jack Hougham with discovering the farm’s lettuce stayed fresh longer if torn by hand versus cut with a knife. But not all discoveries occur according to plan, as is the case here. Hougham made his breakthrough by accident after leaving some lettuce in his car overnight and observed the hand-torn lettuce appeared to be in better shape than the lettuce cut with a knife.
After extensive R&D resulting in lettuce and celery that is gently separated from the root stem by hand, the Wholeaves concept was born. “The no-cut method of leaf lettuce recovery seals in freshness naturally and eliminates the use of preservatives,” Mills says, adding that “because of the tearing process, Wholeaves enjoy a naturally extended shelf life.”
Twelve thousand fertile acres in California’s Imperial Valley and Yuma, Arizona, offer a distinct advantage, and the Mills Family Farms labor-intensive process has the added benefit of hand-selected leaves that “are 100 percent usable with virtually no waste factor,” according to Mills.
To the chef hard at work in the kitchen, Mills says, prep time is greatly reduced because Wholeaves are meticulously cleaned and carefully packed.
Family-owned since 1958, Mills Family Farms produce comes in small, easy-to-handle recyclable packaging that presents a solution to the overcrowded walk-in, while limiting paper waste by as much as 80 percent.