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Watsonville — You don't need to look far these days to find revolutionary changes in the agriculture industry. In terms of packaging, look no further than Sambrailo Packaging. The 95-year-old company has developed — and is continuing to develop — a more environmentally way to package, ship and display produce. Last year Sambrailo, locat- ed at 800 Walker St., Wat- sonville, rolled out its fully recyclable pint basket, made of corrugated cardboard. It's called ReadyCycle. It replaces the mesh plastic and other plastic containers that wind up in landfills. Plastics have a lifespan of 500 years to infinity, while cardboard has a lifespan of three to four months when le in the natural environ- ment. The ReadyCycle pint basket also is wax-free, label-free and pad-free, three other qualities that make produce containers non-recyclable. "It was really exciting for us," Sara Lozano, market- ing manager for Sambrailo Packaging, said of the new product rollout. She said the company was overwhelmed with support from organic farmers and consumers when ReadyCycle hit the marketplace. The pint basket size is typically used to pack strawberries and cherry or grape tomatoes. Among the first companies to adopt the new ReadyCycle pint basket last season are Live Earth Farm in Corralitos, Ca, JSM Organic in Aromas, Ca, and Durst Organic Growers in Esparto, Ca, Lozano said. Companies such as these have a keen interest in being environmentally friendly and attracting customers who have similar values. "It's been really powerful for the grower," Lozano said. "It's definitely caused a stir in the industry. It's something that is the natural next step for us." The new packaging has been three years in the mak- ing. Juana Ramirez, director of sales and marketing; Tom Taggart, vice president of quality and innovation; and Lozano have been diligently working on ReadyCycle since the start. "As we continue to see the damaging effects of plastics in our oceans, landfill, and our Earth, we at Sambrailo Packaging are in a stage of reinventing who we are," Ramirez said in a blog on the Plastic Pollution Coalition website. "We recognize and believe that we are at a point where change is des- perately needed. Introducing ReadyCycle as a packag- ing alternative to plastic for agriculture is our first step leading the charge," she said. "Anytime you see plastic packaging, there is an opportunity for ReadyCy- cle to step in and become a viable non-plastic solution," Lozano said. ReadyCycle will no doubt play a large role in Califor- nia's 75 Percent Initiative. Gov. Jerry Brown and the state Legislature have set a goal of 75 percent recycling, composting or source reduc- tion of solid waste by 2020. Brown's Executive Order B-30-15 includes four cli- mate change strategy pillars. They are: · Moving organics out of landfill. · Expanding the recycling/ manufacturing infrastruc- ture. · Promoting state procure- ment of post consumer recy- cled content products. · Promoting extended pro- ducer responsibility. Another major incentive for using recyclable materials, Lozano said, is that China, as of Jan. 1 of this year, imposed a ban on accepting plastic trash from other na- tions. "We have to find other sources," Lozano said. "Our hope is that we can support the consumer lifestyle for a reduction in plastic waste and encourage effective recycling." Sambrailo's ReadyCycle pr oduc ts ar e m ade by a p art- ner company in California and shipped to its Watson- ville warehouse for distribu- tion to growers. For the 2018 season the company has introduced its newest ReadyCycle stock items, including a16-ounce or 1-pound strawber- ry closed basket. It is an alternative to the 16-ounce PET clamshell and a half- pint bushberry open basket, an iconic staple at farmers markets. The plastic clamshell, Lozano points out, has just one label on it for marketing purposes. "ReadyCycle has 360 degrees of marketing surface, and since last sea- son customers have directly thanked growers for making the switch out of plastic and reached out to them through their branding on ReadyCy- cle," she said. The cost of Ready-Cy- cle products is mor e than plastic containers at the moment, Lozano said. But as more growers embrace ReadyCycle products, costs are expected to shrink. Besides California, Sambrai- lo's ReadyCycle packaging is being used in Nevada, Wash- ington, Oregon, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It also will be used in Mexico and Canada this growing season. Sambrailo Packaging is owned and operated by the fourth generation of the Sambrailo family, which immigrated to the Unit- ed States from Croatia. Company founder, Charles Sambrailo, was recognized in 1923 for improvements in produce handling methods. Paper liners were added to apple crates to protect the fruit. In 1957, the compa- ny improved strawberry cartons by developing trays with glued and folded over windows, reducing fruit damage. A new strawberry tray was introduced in the 1970s with a dividing zipper on the bottom. The company also began printing on solid fiber fruit baskets. In the 1980s Sambrailo simplified carton assembly with a one-piece hand-fold- ed apple box. Then came a plastic dome lid for solid fiber fruit baskets. In 1987, the company introduced the first plastic clamshell for fresh berries. In 2009 came RunRite, a new line of clamshells for blueberries and tomatoes, engineered to run on high-speed packing lines. Go Greener clamshells for organic growers were introduced in 2014. They're made of 100 percent re- cyc led mat erial. No w, with ReadyCycle, Sambrailo, remains at the forefront of produce packaging innova- tion. Visit www.sambrailo. com for more information. Pioneers in sustainable packaging development By Tom Leyde newsroom@montereyherald.com Fresh blueberries are packaged in the new ReadyCycle pint basket developed by Sambrailo Packaging of Watsonville. The basket is totally recyclable. Photo by Tom Leyde/Herald Correspondent Sara Lozano, marketing manager for Sambrailo Packaging of Watsonville, holds the company's new ReadyCycle pint basket. It is a totally recyclable product for packaging produce. Photo by Tom Leyde/Herald Correspondent Agriculture and the economy Many people rely on the agriculture industry for their fo ods, but think lit tle of the impact that agriculture has on the larger economy. However, data indicates that agriculture can serve a sig- nificant role in the process of solidifying the economy of a country, particularly developing nations. Agri- culture also can contribute to the economic prosper- ity of advanced countries. IPP Media points out that the economic history of many developed countries indicates that agricultur- al prosperity contributed heavily to their economic advancement. When the basic food supply is strong, the national economy can be strong as well. Particu- larly in the early days of the United States, farming held a crucial place in establish- ing the American economy and culture, and still shapes the country today. Many states find that farming and other agricultural pursuits contribute much to the local and national economy. For example, new research from the University of Wiscon- sin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Extention show that agriculture is a powerful economic force in Wisconsin. Agricultural busi- nesses help generate more than $83 billion in activity and have created more than 400,000 jobs in that state. The public should not dis- regard how strong a factor agriculture can be in estab- lishing a strong economic environment. Safeguarding agricultural jobs and the ag- ricultural industry is crucial to economic stability. FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018 MONTEREYHERALD.COM | NEWS | 3 C Newspaper : Monterey County Herald Advertiser : HOUSE PROMO-RETAIL Issue Date : 04/27/2018 Ad Number : 000614578803