You are never to old to go on a field trip and this week, I got to go on one to Melissa’s Produce in Los Angeles, Ca. The tour and lunch was arranged by the lovely and talented ladies behind OC Bites – Louise Samor Mellor, Debbi Dubbs and Renee Fontes .
If you spend any time in a grocery store, than the colorful Melissa’s logo should be familiar. What you may not know though is that Melissa’s is a family owned and operated company that was founded in 1984. Since then, it has grown into the U.S.’s largest distributor of specialty produce and currently distributes over 1,200 different products ranging from exotic fruits and vegetables to ready to eat beets, edamame and lentils!
We began by sitting down to a wonderful lunch prepared by two of Melissa’s talented Corporate Chefs, Tom and Ida. Everything was delicious – but I think my favorite was the Corn and Tomato Salad. During lunch, Robert Schueller , Melissa’s Director of Public Relations, started out by giving us an overview of Melissa’s then it was on to discussing the “stars” of the tour – produce!!!
Robert talked about some of the fruits that are currently in season – Pixie Tangerines, Champagne Mangoes, Feijoa (a new introduction!) and passionfruit. He also stumped us with questions such as “What fruit does not have any seeds?” and “How many varieties of coconuts are available in the U.S?” From there it was on to the tour of Melissa’s warehouse and packing facility – the details of which I cannot share with you – but what I can share is the care , attention to detail and outstanding quality we saw everywhere on our tour.
A huge “thank you” to OC Bites for arranging this great “field trip” and to everyone at Melissa’s!!!
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
wasn’t it fun? thank you so much for coming- great post. my favorite was the corn and tomato salad too…
Thanks for the invite!!! I am still dreaming about that salad….
Loved the corn salad! Terrific pictures. I ate the coconut by the way!
Oohh… I bet it was delicious!!!
It was definitely fun and informative! Besides the cheddar thyme crisps, the corn salad was my fave, too
Have a great week, Nancy!
Thanks for driving Priscilla – can’t wait for our next field trip!
Sounds like such fun !
It definitely was a fun day – great to learn about all the wonderful produce we now have access to thanks to Melissa’s!
Nancy,
Thank you for the nice review of the tour at Melissa’s Produce, your words were so kind and really enjoyed you all coming!
Best Dishes..
Robert
Melissa’s Produce
Hi Robert,
Thank you again for a terrific day! It was so much fun to get a “behind the curtain” look at Melissa’s – absolutely love your products and can’t wait to experiment with some of the new and exotic fruits!!!
Now, I have to know what fruit has no seeds!? Sounds like a fun day, and I’ve always liked their logo with the carrot.
It was really interesting to see their warehouse. The answer to the question is “pineapples”!!!
It sounds as though you had a fun field trip. I always enjoy using products more when I have a chance to meet the people behind them.
It was a wonderful tour and the food was delicious! I’ve always loved Melissa’s products so it was fun to see their warehouse and learn more about their company!
Lucky you, Nancy!
Great recap, Nancy! I have finally finished using all the fresh produce from the tour:) I had a great time. Cannot wait for another adventure:)
Corn and tomato salads are one of my long time favorites! We here in the Mid-west aren’t lucky enough to have a Melissa’s, at least I have never heard of them. I love taking long walks through a grocery store of any kind, and well a full blow tour by the company would be even better. You can always learn so much that way. Thanks Paulie
OC Bites, huh? Sounds intriguing. GREG
Those crunchy potatoes were my favorite of the afternoon. GReat to see you there!
[K]