News and Stories

Have you tasted Markon First Crop (MFC) Strawberries this month? They are bright red, sweet as candy, and remind us of why we loved to eat berries when we were kids.

Markon will pack MFC Strawberries in California’s Salinas and Watsonville growing areas through the summer months. This region has densely rich soil, as well as a natural air conditioner in the form of the Pacific Ocean’s on-shore breeze, making it the perfect place to grow berries during this season’s heat. 

Markon packs the Albion variety during the summer because it is considered by many to have the best flavor and longest shelf-life currently available. After consulting with our operator customers, we developed two different pack sizes specifically for foodservice kitchens:

• 2/4-pound: designed as a bulk pack for high-volume recipes
• 8/1-pound: smaller, individual clamshells for low-volume usage 

To ensure our customers receive the finest product available, Markon inspectors walk the fields daily, looking for the lots that yield the best-tasting, biggest, and deepest-colored berries available that day.

In addition, the inspectors also perform Field Risk Assessments to minimize the chances of foodborne contamination. As they walk the perimeter of a field, they specifically look for:

• Animal tracks and/or droppings
• Overhead telephone or power lines that could attract birds
• Bird feathers
• Bird droppings
• Strawberries or strawberry leaves that may have been eaten by 
• Birds
• Deer
• Rodents
• Wild hogs

Once all risks have been reviewed and the fields have been approved for quality, the harvest begins. 

We hope you’ll sample our delicious MFC Strawberries—and feature them on your menus—this summer.

Cheers!