Great Taste Magazine

All in the FAMILY
By Lauren Monahan September/October 2008

Despite being one of Orange County’s largest produce distributors, it is interesting and quite ironic how Family Tree Produce initially, had no intention of being a company at all!

FAMILY TREE SALES TEAM

Top Row L to R - Steve Siegel, Daniel Cruz, Tim Voll, Tony Nigro

Bottom Row L to R - Ramon Bonilla, Betsy Singley, Ralph Salinas, Raul Reynoso

In 1975, Fidel Guzman, then a restaurant chef at Lorenzo’s Restaurant in Orange County, began making regular trips from his kitchen to the Los Angeles Produce Market. He would scour the grounds for the best and freshest products, talking with the growers and learning about the fruits and vegetables he wanted to purchase. Loading up his van, he’d then trek back to Lorenzo’s to create mouth-watering dishes with his recent purchases.

When many of Guzman’s friends and chefs from other establishments learned about his trips to the LA market, they began to make orders of their own to send them with him. “I was going anyway,” said Fidel, who was more than happy to gather the produce and deliver it to his fellow chefs.

Continuing his visits to the LA market, Guzman became a familiar face to many of the growers, establishing relationships with them and learning more about the produce with each trip; however, one thing about this process bothered Fidel – he did not control the products he was purchasing all the way through. Although Guzman knew the farmers and their produce at face value, he did not know what their farms were like: What were their food safety procedures? How thorough were their inspections? These questions, among others, got Fidel thinking. What if he could control the products he offered from start to finish, seeing where they came from and where they would end up? He had already built strong connections with many of the growers he purchased from and already had a basic client list consisting of the chefs he regularly bought for. With help from family and friends, Fidel Guzman was able to utilize and combine the two resources, creating a niche for himself as an active produce distributor. Thus, Family Tree Produce was born! 1975

To my delight, I was able to visit the Family Tree facility in Anaheim for a tour. I was very impressed by the huge state of the art refrigeration rooms, the sheer number of items the company receives and distributes, the numerous fleet of trucks they employ to deliver the goods, and the practically failproof labeling system that keeps each and every product organized and on point. All of these aspects truly displayed how remarkable Family Tree Produce is; yet, that’s not what won me over…

Family Tree Produce could not have a more appropriate name. Yes, we all know that many types of produce grow on trees, but that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s the word ‘Family’ that I’m referring too. To begin with, no less then five of Guzman’s family members are a part of the company – with three siblings and two sons currently employed by Family Tree, many other members are cousins, friends, and even cousins of friends. Though my visit to the distributor’s facility did not last more than two hours, I left feeling as if I had met each and every employee on site that day. My tour guide, VP of Operations and Development, David Figueroa, introduced me to practically every person we walked by, telling me their names and departments which often included a funny story about them. After meeting one of the delivery drivers I realized that at Family Tree, even if you don’t share Guzman’s family name, you are still a part of the family. With over 110 employees, keeping together such a strong and high valued team is not an easy accomplishment.

As a company that prides itself on its’ relationships, Family Tree Produce has some of the strongest partnerships in the business. As a distributor, the company acts as a middleman between two sets of clients: the farmers that grow produce and the establishments who then sell it to the general public for consumption. Guzman and his team know that they wouldn’t be able to do business without both types of partnerships; therefore, every client they have is treated as a legitimate extension of their Family Tree. And as one of the largest produce distributors in Orange County today, it is without a doubt that Fidel Guzman and Family Tree Produce know exactly what it is all about.

What Sets Family Tree Apart from Other Produce Distributors?

They have a chef on staff. The role of this chef is to be the culinary backbone of the company, acting as a liaison between sales reps and clients. As an expert on both food and Family Tree’s inventory, the chef liaison is able to fully understand and assess the needs of the chef clients, and therefore, establish a better relationship between them and their sales representatives. It’s not unusual for chef to visit kitchens to demonstrate the many uses and methods of preparation to crews in their own kitchens. There seems to be a common trend here; Family Tree and great relationships… Hhmm; interesting.

They are watching your food. Family Tree’s delivery trucks are so high-tech, they may as well belong to the C.I.A. Each vehicle is equipped with a tracking device that details where it is at all times, so if need be, you can get a real ETA of your produce. The tracking device also details the temperature inside the refrigeration unit to ensure freshness, and the speed at which the truck is traveling. Family Tree is committed to looking into alternative fueling and refrigeration methods for their fleet to help save energy and the environment.

They educate their clients, and themselves. Who doesn’t love a field trip? Family Tree Produce periodically organizes trips that take their food industry clients, along with and their own employees, to the growers that supply their produce. The chefs, managers, buyers and Family Tree staff get to see first hand what goes into creating anything from onions to a head of lettuce; just another illustration of how Family Tree builds and maintains great relationships between each link in the chain.

Food safety is #1. Family Tree strives daily to ensure that the produce they buy and distribute is 100% safe and healthy to eat. The personal relationships the distributor keeps with their growers allow representatives to make regular trips to the farming facilities to help guarantee that the produce is being grown and handled is following the most up-to-date food safety procedures. Once the produce leaves the farm, it is immediately refrigerated and kept strictly at regulated temperatures until it reaches the delivery site, never breaking the cold chain. Since each hour without refrigeration takes a day off of produce shelf life, constant cold temperatures is a must and therefore, kept by the Family Tree motto.