CALIFORNIA MEMBER PROFILE
Mary Thompson CEO Bonduelle Fresh Americas
Member Since 1973 (originally joined as Ready Pac)
Value-Added Pioneer Moving Forward Under New Banner
The Back Story: The Ready Pac brand was established about a half century ago as founder Dennis Gertmenian’s story of chopping, cleaning, and bagging lettuce from a bathtub is a well-known part of the value-added sector’s folklore. While the purchase by Bonduelle a couple of years ago has led to the re-branding of the title on the building—Bonduelle Fresh Americas—Ready Pac is still the brand on the product. Single-serve bowls and other fresh vegetable and salad-meal solutions are at the core of its business. And it is the market leader in the single serve with protein sector. CEO Mary Thompson said the company’s primary goal has not changed since Bonduelle acquired it and that is to offer consumers healthy choices in both the meal and snack categories. She said the company continually looks at new opportunities including those in the “grab and go” category. Ready Pac’s signature Bistro Bowl is the company’s leading product, but Thompson said the value-added pioneer is exploring other options in which it can add healthy solutions for consumers—especially for working moms, which is a group that includes her. Bonduelle’s Deep Roots : Bonduelle is a family business that was established in 1853. Its mission is to be the world leader in well-living through plant-based foods. Prioritizing innovation and long-term vision, the group is diversifying its operations and geographical presence. Its vegetables, grown on close to 300,000 acres all over the world, are sold in 100 countries under various brand names and through various distribution channels and forms. Social Responsibility: While Bonduelle has navigated a seamless transition from Ready Pac with
its basic product line, suppliers, and customers intact, the company has introduced a more robust social responsibility initiative. “That is something Bonduelle brought to the table,” said Thompson, noting that it strikes home for her. She revealed that all three of her children (teens or younger) are well-versed in the climate change issue, with her middle daughter being especially passionate about the concept. Seemingly, it is millennials and younger folks fueling the public consciousness, but 174-year-old Bonduelle is equally proactive. In mid-October, Bonduelle Fresh Americas published
20 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2020
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