THE STORY OF BIG VALLEY LABEL

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT ONE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA'S THIRD GENERATION COMPANIES. IT IS A STORY ABOUT TWO COMPANIES, INDEPENDENTLY OWNED, who came together with a handshake to form the label, Big Valley. Thirty years ago, a landowner and grower by the name of Jim Wood, shook hands with a gentleman named Rod Bentley to market the fruit and vegetables being farmed out of San Joaquin Valley. The union was a result of Jim Wood's search to find the right partner to sell his peaches.

Food marketing innovator Rod Bentley accepted the challenge, and formed Bentley and Bentley several years later. Together, the companies formed the giant supermarket label known today as Big Valley Marketing, and have successfully marketed frozen fruits, vegetables, and juice concentrates to retail, foodservice, and industrial customers throughout the nation and the world. Big Valley's primary assets is its people. The organization boasts a unique blend of seasoned food industry veterans and young aggressive marketers. Recognized for their industry expertise, the Big Valley sales and marketing staff works closely with J.R. Wood's R&D professionals to create new products that meet the evolving needs of the frozen food industry. This teamwork has lead to many innovations adopted as industry standards. In the late 1960's, in quest of a more natural tasting frozen fruit, Big Valley brand introduced the use of citric and ascorbic acids as antioxidants, replacing sulfur dioxide in IQF processing.

As they each retained their own independent companies, Bentley and Bentley began marketing and selling the fruit of J.R. Wood's orchards. The flagship of this organization is peaches, with JR Woods being the largest producer of of freestone and cling peaches in the United States. Many of these peaches are delivered to the makers of Mrs. Smith's and Sara Lee Pies, along with many yogurt and preserves companies. The output is not restricted to peaches, however. J.R. Woods also produces and handles the purchasing for items needed for the Big Valley label. While Bentley & Bentley handles the sales and marketing of the brand.

If you grocery shop, no doubt you have seen this label before. Big Valley is one of the largest producers of packaged IQF frozen fruit in the retail market, also exporting to foreign markets such as Japan, Canada, Mexico, South America, and a little bit in Europe. In fact, Big Valley as the Branded Retail Frozen Fruit label is the number one branded label in the United States.

Changing world markets in the agriculture business have forced the need for marketing ingenuity in order to stay competitive, and Bentley's with J.R. Wood's R&D have gone the route of the Value Added Business.

Bentley and Bentley pack to order for JR Woods, allowing them to sell 100% of what JRW packs. However they have the capacity to pack three times as much volume as they currently pack. We cannot just be a com

modity business. Says Yvonne. Choosing the route of the Value Added Business, Brewer maneuvers easily in and out of the various segments of Foodervice, Retail, and Club. In order to produce more Value Added products to utilize all the components from the fruit and vegetables that JR Wood produces, Bentley and Bentley has gone to market with two smoothie products: Big Valley Fruitatious, a ready to pour smoothie product, and a new smoothie beverage mix that they are marketing under their new label, Flavorland.

Big Valley Fruitatious is for the Flavor of the Day segment ( end users that do not want their whole business to revolve around smoothies,( i.e., Deli's, coffee/java houses, Universities, Hospitals, etc.), and is 100% pure fruit and juice concentrates. You just thaw, blend with ice and serve. ÒAnother application for this segment is for the Value Added Menu Segment. The end users would add smoothies to their children's menus, breakfast menus, or a drink section. It is a ready to pour product. The Flavorland Beverage Mix is a fruit drink base that works well for the bar trade, and is sweeter.

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