The year 2002 does not immediately conjure images of innovation. For me, it revitalizes memories of platform flip flops and velour tracksuits—trends I thankfully managed to avoid. But remiss from my memory bank were those forward-thinking companies on track to change the face of fresh produce. For in the midst of a year seemingly light years away from where the industry is now, Kingdom Fresh Farms was carving out a space as a greenhouse visionary, cementing itself as an ahead-of-its-time company with innovations built to last.
Founded in 2002, the company would not yet see its General Manager, Jaime García, arrive for another seven years, when the fresh college graduate first stepped onto the produce scene. As he rose through the ranks to his current position, he simultaneously watched Kingdom Fresh rise in produce fame.
“Kingdom Fresh started with a background in both harvesting and retail. We partnered with experts from Spain who have the know-how of growing with hydroponic methods in greenhouses,” Jaime explains to me as he sets the scene. “We are pioneers to our region, as we were the first to implement these methods in Torreón, Mexico. Together, with the knowledge about retail from our shareholders in Mexico, we are now able to execute a perfect combination of growing and targeting specific customers.”
As it has worked to become the best partner possible for buyers across North America, Kingdom Fresh dialed into hydroponics—a method of growing plants without soil—as a way of constantly ensuring high-quality products.
“We have always grown our products using a protective agriculture method. It’s a better way of controlling the crop by making any changes that you may need due to Mother Nature, which translates into changes that will help you produce stronger and healthier plants for better yields. If you go into the soil, well, you have lots of risks. Water retention, nutrients, quality of the soil— all of this plays a factor into forecasting yields. With this in mind, we stuck with hydroponics from day one,” Jaime remarks.
As the company settled into producing greenhouse tomatoes, it experienced a few challenges on the growing side—particularly in learning how to grow tomatoes in the desert climate of Torreón. As it acclimated, Kingdom Fresh too leaned toward tomato varieties that adapted well to the climate, selecting round tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and grape tomatoes to lead its program.
Now, Kingdom Fresh has 320 acres in Torreón and 100 acres in Puebla, Mexico, which enables the grower to support year-round production.
“We’re exploring new products, areas, and commodities. You might be surprised to hear that next year we have colored bell peppers or zucchini and yellow squash.”
Jaime García, General Manager, Kingdom Fresh Farms
“We have the infrastructure already set, and we’re looking to expand to different lines of production,” Jaime says, noting that Kingdom Fresh recently acquired land on its Puebla farm, which opens up room for additional expansion. “Our growth is going to be very focused in that region. It could be more tomatoes, or we could mix it up a little bit and add more veggies. We’re exploring new products, areas, and commodities. You might be surprised to hear that next year we have colored bell peppers or zucchini and yellow squash.”
Jaime’s assurance of constant innovation is not surprising, given that Kingdom Fresh recently slated a new sweet mini pepper program to hit retail shelves. It also started its first crop of cucumbers in 2018, a trial that proved so successful, Kingdom Fresh tripled the acreage.
Two years prior, however, Kingdom Fresh was gearing up for another trial: offering promotable volumes of organic tomatoes. After producing organic grape tomatoes and organic Roma tomatoes for three years, the time had come to throw its hat into the organic ring. As year-round production on both grape and Roma rolled out, Kingdom Fresh noted which trends were catapulting the tomato category to successful heights.
“We see more demand for snacking tomatoes and Roma tomatoes. These are the two motors taking the tomato category to the next level,” Jaime states. “The round tomato demand is more focused on foodservice right now. The evolution of tomatoes is moving toward better flavor, higher brix levels, and sustainable and recyclable packaging.”
All of which, I might shamelessly add, is offered by Kingdom Fresh.
“It’s not just about planting tomatoes and trying to get the best yields and the best profit. Sustainability is about the entire concept of running the company and the farm in a way that we can keep growing in the future.”
But it’s not just the pull of expansion, new programs, and organics—although I flock to these words like Emily Dickinson’s “Debauchee of Dew”—that makes the Kingdom Fresh story come to life for me. No, the pull stems from a company that has been living and breathing sustainability since its inception. (Dickinson herself, I have no doubt, would be likely to write a poem about Kingdom Fresh’s efforts.)
“We have to take care of Mother Nature,” Jaime insists. “In 2018, we set up the fifth phase of installing solar panels in our farms, and now 90 percent of the energy needed for running the packinghouse and the headquarter offices comes from solar. We also recollect the water we use in our hydroponics bags, which helps us maintain the erosion of the soil.”
For Jaime, the concept of sustainability is as simple to him as breathing.
“It’s not just about planting tomatoes and trying to get the best yields and the best profit. Sustainability is about the entire concept of running the company and the farm in a way that we can keep growing in the future. If you use all the resources you have without sending something back to the spaces where you’re located, then that land becomes unusable in the future. Those communities around you would not be able to sustain themselves because the farm will not be able to sustain itself,” Jaime reflects.
Despite having clocked only ten years with the industry, Jaime left me with a profound sense of wisdom beyond his years. A year shouldn’t dictate how you—or your company—chase after innovation. If anything, it should spur you to tackle challenges, learn new aspects of the industry, and, to harken back to the early 2000s, be hella good. 
