Tanimura & Antle Celebrates and Grows on 40 Years of Success
November 14, 2022 On Nov. 10, Tanimura & Antle announced the celebration of reaching its 40th company anniversary milestone as one of the produce industry’s leading, vertically integrated grower-shippers of premium fresh vegetables.
“I am truly amazed each and every day of the dedication, hard work and pride that each employee has for Tanimura & Antle,” says Scott Grabau, President & CEO of Tanimura & Antle. “It is a culture that cannot be purchased and is very difficult to replicate. Forty years of trust between the owners, the employees, the community, and industry has been built one box and one year at a time. I am excited for everyone here for this great milestone and thankful for each and every employee that will be part of the next 40 years to come.”
When founding Tanimura & Antle in 1982, the company set out on a mission to be the industry leader in quality, service, and innovation and earned the reputation of consistently having the best quality premium fresh produce; building a loyal following of customers and consumer fans across the U.S., Canada and beyond. Over the last 40 years, the company has consistently pursued sustainable innovations to address growing industry issues, ensuring its ability to build a legacy for years to come. From early innovations such as drip tape, GPS machinery, and custom harvest machines, to early innovations in product development with salad kits, packaging, being first to market on new seed varieties and building a state of the art hydroponics facility – Tanimura & Antle has never been afraid to invest in the future of fresh produce.
Today, Tanimura & Antle continues its legacy in fresh produce and agriculture innovation as an employee and family-owned company. As the cost of farming inputs continue to rise, skilled labor becomes increasingly difficult to find and sustainability continues to be a key industry focus, the company has invested in a number of agriculture innovations to address growing industry issues.
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The company acquired an automated transplanting company, PlantTape, in 2014, for commercial development and today, growers use the system across the globe for a variety of crops. In Livingston, Tennessee, the Company has a state of the art greenhouse facility that grows a variety of greenhouse grown lettuces with 90% less water.
Tanimura & Antle became one of the only grower shippers to invest in their own seed supply in the early 2000’s when it acquired a local seed company, giving them a direct line of sight to seed development and upcoming new products.
In response to the industry’s critical need for reliable automated farm machinery, the company started Stout Industrial Technology in 2019 and now utilizes the Stout Smart Cultivator, an automated, AI powered weeder, throughout their farms, further decreasing their reliance on scarce skilled labor. Most recently, in 2021, the company acquired Green City Growers, an urban farming company based in Boston, MA, that provides communities, organizations and individuals with hands-on experience and education on where their food comes from through local gardens.
“It’s humbling to look back at how far we’ve come as a company and partnership in the last 40 years,” says Brian Antle, Executive VP of Sales. “Growing up in the company gave me the unique opportunity to experience the early years as a child, being on the farm with my family and the Tanimuras before becoming an employee as soon as I was old enough to do so. Growing up during those times and having the opportunity to be a part of shaping Tanimura & Antle into what it is today is something that gives me great pride.”
For more information on Tanimura & Antle and its 40th anniversary, visit taproduce.com.
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