Bakersfield, CA: Kirschenman Enterprises Inc., a leading grower/packer/shipper in the San Joaquin Valley, announced it has signed a contract extension with CHEP, the world’s leading pallet and container pooling company. Kirschenman Enterprises is now transporting potatoes, table grapes and watermelon under the brand names Wayne’s Flames, Rooster’s Pride, Ed’s Snow White and others from its farms in California to supermarkets, wholesalers, foodservice distributors and wholesale clubs across North America on CHEP pallets.
Kirschenman Enterprises moved from limited-use, non-pooled pallets, known in the industry as “white wood,” to the CHEP pooling program to meet customer demands for a high-quality, reliable shipping platform. The grower is seeing a series of financial benefits from the switch, including productivity improvements and a reduction in product damage.
Wayde Kirschenman, owner of Kirschenman Enterprises, said, “We continue to experience significant benefits from the CHEP program in the form of cost reductions and increased efficiency. The system has enhanced our relationship with customers throughout the USA and Canada, helping us to become a preferred supplier in many cases.”
Kirschenman added that the CHEP program is also more environmentally sustainable, which is increasingly important to the company and its customers. Based on third-party life-cycle inventory analysis findings, through its use of the CHEP pooling system as opposed to whitewood pallets, Each year, Kirschenman Enterprises is reducing solid waste generation by about 20,000 pounds, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 15,000 pounds and saving enough energy to power 11 homes with electricity.
CHEP USA senior vice president of sales and marketing Karen Hempel said, “CHEP strives to deliver supply chain improvements for grower/shippers like Kirschenman Enterprises and its retail and wholesale trading partners by eliminating costs and bolstering productivity. We are also committed to helping the produce industry with its sustainability efforts.”
