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Organic snack food company Once Upon a Farm<\/a> has come a long way in a short time to establish its brand and prosper. In just nine years, the privately owned California company has achieved one ambitious milestone after another and is preparing for its next phase of success.<\/p>\n Since 2018, Once Upon a Farm has nearly doubled the number of outlets that sell its nutritious baby food and snacks for children. In 2020, revenues reached $20 million. Looking ahead to satisfy future demand, the company last February installed automated SOMIC Packaging<\/a> 424 W3 wraparound case packing systems at two of its co-packing providers\u2019 facilities in Milwaukee and Orange County, Calif.<\/p>\n Once Upon a Farm was founded in 2015 by Cassandra Curtis and a group of entrepreneurs looking to modernize the standards of organic baby food<\/a>. They answered the call from a generation of newer parents asking for healthier food options by using cold pressure, High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology to preserve the original nutrients without using additives or heat.<\/p>\n With CEO John Foraker and actress, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Jennifer Garner on board as co-founders and chief brand officer, the company grew distribution rapidly across most channels and developed multiple experimental product lines to accelerate growth. Today, they employ over 100 full-time people and rely on several co-packers throughout the United States to service their national retail partners and consumer base.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce Upon a Farm has grown exponentially since our inception,\u201d said Douglas Blake, the company\u2019s Director of Co-Packer Engineering. \u201cIn 2018, we expanded nationally and reached more than 8,500 retail outlets. We are now in over 16,000 retail operations and growing every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to purchasing the pair of SOMIC case packing<\/a> systems, Once Upon a Farm\u2019s co-packers used manual labor to handle the products. They currently use several workers on the assembly line for each shift, but the change to a faster and more consistent method began with a visit to a packaging trade show in late 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cWe heard about SOMIC and the 424 machine at PACK EXPO, and I had prior interaction with Stacy Schmeiser, their west coast regional sales manager,\u201d recalled Blake. The preeminent packaging event, which usually attracts over 50,000 professionals, returns this year to Chicago\u2019s McCormick Place. SOMIC Packaging will be exhibiting in booth N-6148 from November 3-6.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were impressed by the machine\u2019s capabilities and knew there was an opportunity to streamline our production process,\u201d added Blake. \u201cWe considered two other companies, but SOMIC was the clear winner because of its accuracy, capabilities with different boxes and overall customer service. Stacy\u2019s persistence and tactful style of communication is a large reason why SOMIC earned our business. He was patient, strategic, straightforward, and knew SOMIC would deliver what we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n American Pasteurization Company<\/a> (APC) in Milwaukee is one of the co-packers that runs the 424 W3 machines. Greg Zaja, APC\u2019s vice president of Business Development, said they first heard of SOMIC through contacts in the food industry.<\/p>\n \u201cThe decision to invest in the machinery was ultimately made by Once Upon a Farm, and the functionality of the machine itself was key. SOMIC\u2019s specifications were a good match for the production needs, and the responses from companies already using their equipment were all positive,\u201d said Zaja, a 20-year veteran at APC. He further explained there have been several advantages since the 424 W3 was installed in February.<\/p>\n \u201cOur machine replaced quite a few extra sets of hands we needed to have on the assembly line. We also had to replace an older piece of equipment that we were getting by with but wasn\u2019t intended to handle the volume level we currently do,\u201d he noted. \u201cThe SOMIC case packer allows for greater hourly throughput with a far reduced risk of human error.\u201d<\/p>\nA flexible solution to help grow the business<\/h4>\n
Co-Packing partner experiences Productivity improvements<\/h4>\n