Picking/Packing Containers

[moon1234]

I am wondering what most of you larger growers are using for picking and packing containers? I have around 700 tomatoes this year and 1000 pepper plants.

I bought about 30 RoPak containers this spring. 15 of the yellow 7/8 bushel and 15 of the gree 1.75 bushel containers to use this season. I am finding that my chefs like them a little too much and they tend to hang on to them until I ask for them back. They like the way they stack and I found one using them to pick their own herbs in instead of returning them. I have corrected that problem.

I am now worried I do not NOT have enough picking/packing containers as the tomatoes are just starting to ripen and I don't think I have enough containers.

I am looking to buy more, but I would like to know what you use and do you like them? The yellow 7/8 bushel containers are nice, but I routinely screw up the nest/stack by having the crate facing the wrong way. My kids are worse.

I am looking at buying InterCrate 6.7 containers. They seem to be much more suited for tomatoes, peppers, etc. Has anyone use them? What is the quality like? I would also like to get some of the larger Fresh Tote's they are selling. They look to be bullet proof.

I considered cardboard, but I don't really have a nice packing shed yet and your not supposed to field pack tomatoes in cardboard for sanitary reasons. This is why I like the plastic containers. They are easy to clean and re-use.

The pricing I got was $10 for the 6.7 containers and $22.50 for the Fresh Totes (Which seems rather expensive). The 6.7's are affordable, cheaper even than the Ropak, but shipping is a killer at around $170.

Here is some more information and demonstartion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM5qm8sbRpo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud1ie...feature=relmfu
http://www.google.com/search?q=inter...x=&startPage=1

[Granite26]

I picked up some very nice styro containers at the grocery store. Grapes are shipped to the store in them and then they dispose of them. My cost $0.0

[moon1234]

Originally Posted by Granite26

I picked up some very nice styro containers at the grocery store. Grapes are shipped to the store in them and then they dispose of them. My cost $0.0

That is great for a one off here and there, but I will have around 7000 lbs of tomatoes and was hoping someone here might have some insight on what they used for containers.

[Granite26]

well I got 40 containers and re-use them. Maybe Carol will chime in here. She always has good advise from her market experience.

[Wi-sunflower]

Unfortunately I don't have a good source for containers like you are looking for. Packing crates can be horribly expensive and tend to "grow legs". We are down to about 1/2 of what we had at one time.

Personally I don't do much sales direct to restaurants any more. When I did, I used the cardboard as no one wants to give crates back.

Way back ages ago I got a whole lot of large 1.5 bu plastic crates. But it was a 1 shot deal from someone that got them in a closeout of some sort. You used to be able to get the black 1 bu crates from the companies that got bulbs in them. Since they take up as much room empty as full, the companies didn't want them back. too much to ship them. But now they have the folding crates and you hardly see the others any more.

We pick mostly in 5 gal buckets and wash in a huge stainless sink in the barn.

Mostly we use the green plastic pints that you can get from Monte. They have all kinds of packing supplies. There is a company in Watertown that has some crates, but I could never afford them so I don't remember their name right now. There is also a place near the Dells that has decent prices on some supplies. Glacier Valley. Their web page sucks tho.

Carol

[moon1234]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

Unfortunately I don't have a good source for containers like you are looking for. Packing crates can be horribly expensive and tend to "grow legs". We are down to about 1/2 of what we had at one time.

Personally I don't do much sales direct to restaurants any more. When I did, I used the cardboard as no one wants to give crates back.

Way back ages ago I got a whole lot of large 1.5 bu plastic crates. But it was a 1 shot deal from someone that got them in a closeout of some sort. You used to be able to get the black 1 bu crates from the companies that got bulbs in them. Since they take up as much room empty as full, the companies didn't want them back. too much to ship them. But now they have the folding crates and you hardly see the others any more.

We pick mostly in 5 gal buckets and wash in a huge stainless sink in the barn.

Mostly we use the green plastic pints that you can get from Monte. They have all kinds of packing supplies. There is a company in Watertown that has some crates, but I could never afford them so I don't remember their name right now. There is also a place near the Dells that has decent prices on some supplies. Glacier Valley. Their web page sucks tho.

Carol

Glacier Valley is not really a "company" in my opinon. They don't keep hardly anything in stock. I called about a few other things in the past and it was all drop ship. They are actually more expensive than Nolt's Midwest Produce Supply. I bought 15 1.75 bushel green bins and 15 7/8 bushel bins from Nolt's this spring. They are working well, but I never seem to have enough crates. I built some out of pine and cedar last year abour 1 bushel size, but they are 11lbs each and are a bear when full.

I was interested in the intercrate as they are certified for high pressure and hot water washing. My chefs are willing to just run the crates through their dishwasher when they are empty. They can't do that now with the Ropack containers as they are not certified for hot water washing. Trust me some of them come back with rotting broccoli and other "food: in them. We wind up using the pressure washer and then a 2% bleach solution dip.

I have paid for them in carboard so far in one season. Some of the bins have been in and back 35 times already. What I don't like about the stack and nest is that my kids never seem to stack them properly. Not a problem with melons, but tomatoes would be juiced by a mistake. The intercrates use the bails on top so it doesn't matter which way you set the crate down, it is not falling onto the produce.

I am just having heart palpatations on the shipping mostly. $170 for shipping is just crazy.

[moon1234]

Carol,

I think I am going to order some. Aren't you in Wisconsin? If you are interested, I would be happy to add some crates to the order and maybe we could save a little on the shipping?

I was able to get the price on the 2 bushel fresh totes down to 18.00 for blue with a date stamp on one end. Over run he told me.

Just a thought.

[Keger]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

Unfortunately I don't have a good source for containers like you are looking for. Packing crates can be horribly expensive and tend to "grow legs". We are down to about 1/2 of what we had at one time.

Personally I don't do much sales direct to restaurants any more. When I did, I used the cardboard as no one wants to give crates back.

Way back ages ago I got a whole lot of large 1.5 bu plastic crates. But it was a 1 shot deal from someone that got them in a closeout of some sort. You used to be able to get the black 1 bu crates from the companies that got bulbs in them. Since they take up as much room empty as full, the companies didn't want them back. too much to ship them. But now they have the folding crates and you hardly see the others any more.

We pick mostly in 5 gal buckets and wash in a huge stainless sink in the barn.

Mostly we use the green plastic pints that you can get from Monte. They have all kinds of packing supplies. There is a company in Watertown that has some crates, but I could never afford them so I don't remember their name right now. There is also a place near the Dells that has decent prices on some supplies. Glacier Valley. Their web page sucks tho.

Carol

We took a few old wheel barrows, drilled holes in the bottom, loaded them up and hosed down the tomatoes. Worked well, then just packed on corrigated boxes to take to market.