PFYFFER ASSOCIATES INFO

Pfyffer Associates is a California Corporation, founded in 1981 by Fred Pfyffer and Ernest and Charles Bontadelli. Fred, along with his brother Pino, had an established growing, packing, and shipping operation under the name of Pfyffer Brothers since 1940, and the Bontadellis had a partnership, Bontadelli Brothers, that was the largest single supplier to the Pfyffer Brothers shipping operation. In 1981, Pino wanted to retire; hence the formation of Pfyffer Associates, a new corporation designed to carry forward the business into the 80's and beyond.

With the new corporation came some new ideas, and several changes soon took place. The first mechanical refrigeration was installed in the small cooler in the packing shed. Prior to that, all refrigeration was by ice only. In 1985, Ernest's son Steve became involved, having spent the previous eight years after graduation from college involved in the pharmaceutical business. A new 6000 square-foot cooler was soon built, allowing the brussels sprouts to be pre-cooled by forced air, a process first proposed by Ernest's examination of its success in the nearby strawberry industry. This replaced the hydrocooling that at the time was the industry standard, and it has since become the best way to precool and preserve the quality and integrity of the sprouts for shipping. The following year the packing line was completely updated, with the addition of a Kerian sizer, which allows for much more accurate sizing than was previously possible. An automatic filler was installed, providing consistent weight and increased capacity of the cleaning line. A new field cleaning line was installed the following season, allowing the ability to regrade unsatisfactory field sprouts received in order to make them meet the "Ernie's Pride" label expectation.

Each year similar upgrades and changes have taken place, enabling the business to compete into the 90's and beyond. Since Fred's passing in 1990, the corporation is held completely by the Bontadelli family, with Steve running the day-today operation with the help of Sales Manager Rich Slaughter, and Office Manager Sigrid Wilken.

Our season in California normally begins sometime in mid-July and usually ends during mid-to late January. We have had a fairly stable workforce with most of the packing shed employees having worked here for the past 7 years or more. We ship our Brussels sprouts over the entire U.S. and into several provinces in Canada, supplying both the wholesale markets and the chain stores. You can read a little more about us from the California Heartland site, where they featured our operation on their weekly PBS show. We pride ourselves on providing the best possible pack of product and are continually seeking out like-minded quality receivers in market areas where we are not currently present. If you feel like this may be a match for your company, please contact us by one of the methods available on our contact page.