Twenty-eight years ago, when the Iyer family purchased a cherry farm on the outskirts of Gustine, they did so with the vision of cultivating the 20 acres into a successful operation. However, one hiccup existed: those initial cherries were poor in quality. In fact, Managing Partner Lax Iyer described his first acquired orchard as “old” and “neglected.”
“But we used them to learn,” Iyer said. And learn they did. From studying climates, soils, growth patterns, genetics, packing methods, and everything else related to cherries, Iyer immersed himself in growing the best quality cherries possible.
“We are in the business of satisfying customers with amazing flavor,” Iyer said. “That has been our goal from day one.”
Today, Meena Farms, which has expanded to 800 plus acres of cherry orchards, is known across the globe for its flavorful harvest and superior quality. Their orchards have become a place where tradition meets innovation, selling and shipping fruit to over 28 countries each season. They started custom packing operations 7 years ago with packers in the north valley. Through their success in developing premium markets and improving the process, they are now embarking on the construction of Meena Packing Company. Meena Farms will become vertically integrated with overseeing operations from the farm to the addition of the new facility, rather than having the cherries shipped across multiple county lines to other facilities for packing and then loading for export or domestic markets, all of which can impact the flavor if delayed, explained General Manager Chris Medeiros.
“As soon as you pick that cherry from the tree, its time clock starts,” Medeiros said. “It’s like sand in the hourglass, and you only have so much time to get it from your field to the consumer. How you handle the product is extremely important. Cold chain is paramount, so having a packing facility centrally located made sense for our operation.” In fact, this will be the only sweet fresh cherry packing operation in Merced, Stanislaus, Madera, and Fresno counties.
“With some of the most advanced technology sourced from Italy, world renowned for optical sorting, this will probably be the most state-of-the-art cherry facility in North America,” Medeiros said. “Each piece of fruit is picked by hand and sorted individually. Then it’s gently transported mechanically under high speed and inspected by camera as it is rotated in 3 directions. Dozens of pictures are taken of each piece of fruit externally. Internally, computer imaging can identify defects down to the pit. Fruit can be sorted by size, shape, color, firmness, and now there is even technology that will allow sorting by Brix level, which is the sugar content. Fruit is conveyed to the appropriate box, and we can trace each piece of fruit back to the harvest crew and ranch it was harvested from. That’s how state-of-the-art the technology we have invested in is.”
The facility is expected to be operational for harvest late April 2024, and Meena Packing is looking to hire 250 to 300 workers for the season. Those interested in working at the facility can apply online at meenafarms.com or drop off an application/resume at the dropbox location at 581 4th Ave., in Gustine, or call 209-710-5716.
