Mike Collins This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. State's strawberry growers produce bumper crop in 2003

   www.cfbf.com/agalert/2004/02_0 - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/4/2004   Last Visited: 2/4/2004

   "The freezer pack is the tail of the dog if you will," said Mike Collins, president for Anacapa Foods in Oxnard and chairman of the California Processing Strawberry Advisory Board. When the price for fresh strawberries drop, many growers sell into the processed market, and about 25 percent to 35 percent of a grower's acreage goes to processed.
   
   The major cereal companies have introduced formulations with dehydrated strawberries. These new cereals have been very popular with consumers so demand is expected to increase.
   
   "From a California processor's perspective, this is an emerging market," Collins said. California processors were not selling dehydrated strawberries to any large extent until the last few years. U.S. manufacturers are currently unable to meet this relatively new demand, so consequently cereal companies have looked offshore for dehydrated strawberries.
   
   Will U.S. manufacturers expand to meet these dehydrated needs? "Absolutely. That is the indication that they've given us," Collins said. Anacapa Foods plans to at least double, if not triple,its IQF (individually quick frozen) production in the 2004 season, he added.
   
   "I would say correspondingly aside from the cereal use, you're seeing a higher demand for frozen strawberries, IQF as well as other berries, blueberries particularly, in the IQF 1-pound retail bag," Collins said.
   
   The U.S. government contracted for about 10 million pounds of frozen strawberries for the school lunch programs for 2003, and they appear to be on track to do that again in 2004, Collins said.

2. 2. News and Press Releases

   www.pacificgoldfarms.com/news. - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/20/2002   Last Visited: 9/19/2004

   Mike Collins will serve as the new President of Anacapa Foods, a strawberry processing company formed by the principles of two of the fresh strawberry industry's premier shippers, Well Pict and Pacific Gold Farms.
   
   2/25/03 - Pacific Gold Farms Promotes 5 A Day the Color Way