A ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new onion pack shed at Treasure Valley Farms (TVF) was held in October in Weiser, Idaho.
Employees from Treasure Valley Farms, AgriNorthwest, and River Point Farms were on hand for the festivities, which included lunch and tours of the facility where 45 tons of onions can be packed every hour.
“We’re excited to start this new page in the history of Treasure Valley Farms here in the city of Weiser,” Calvin Winder, Row Crops Division Business Development Director, told those in attendance.
The 44,000-square foot pack shed was 18 months in the making, beginning with approval in March 2023. The building used for storing packaging materials was demolished in November of that year, and construction of the pack shed began in January 2024. Equipment started arriving in May, and production began on Sept. 26.
“It was very much needed,” River Point Farms GM Traci Jensen said of the new pack shed. “Just from a food safety perspective, to bring the facility up to the standards of today, that was the biggest driver.”
The improved food safety capabilities will allow TVF to grow its contract business and diversify its customer base across foodservice, institutional, and retail, while also reducing volatility in the spot market, which is where TVF has traditionally sold most of its onions.
Traci said feedback from employees has been enthusiastic.
“The employees are very excited to be the first group to work there, and they’re really proud to be able to have a brand-new facility,” she said. “It’s certainly been a learning curve, because there is more automation with the new packing line than they had before. Any time you start up a new building, a new facility, there are challenges with the equipment, but they’ve been working through all those challenges and are excited.”
The automation throughout the new pack shed will increase the pounds-per-man-hour produced through improved output and a reduction in labor costs. Also, the addition of a consumer packaging line where 2- to 10-pound bags can be packed provides an opportunity for growth, as consumer bags tend to have the highest margin of all packages.
Packing Facility Manager Shelly Frisby noted that the shed includes a six-lane grader with internal and external cameras, automated baggers that sew the bags rather than hand-tying them, automated palletizers that palletize and wrap the bags, and additional line capacity.
Shelly also pointed out that the new TVF production facility is a way of giving back. The new pack shed is an enhancement to the community that the city of Weiser and Treasure Valley employees can be proud of.