Lokacin da Zappalas suka shiga kasuwancin albasa a 1927, tarihi yana gefen su. Albasa, bayan haka, ya kasance muhimmin ɓangare na cin abinci mai kyau, a duk duniya, fiye da shekaru 5,000.
Farms na Zappala sun samo asali ne don zama mafi girma da ke samar da albasa a jihar New York, a wani bangare ta hanyar fahimtar albasa ba kawai albasa ba ce. A cikin 1980s, Jim Zappala, ganin bukatar girma don zaki, albasa mai laushi, ya yi aiki tare da masu bincike da kamfanonin iri don haɓaka nau'i na musamman wanda ya girma a cikin kaka.
Ita wannan albasa, da ake kira Empire Sweet, ta zaburar da gonakin Zappala zuwa wani matsayi mai girma.
A cikin 2003, a wani babban mataki na gaba, 'yan'uwa Sam da Jim Zappala sun fara Empire Fresh-Cuts kuma suka shiga cikin duniyar sarrafa sarkar sanyi da tallace-tallace ga sababbin abokan ciniki, "waɗanda suke so su cire nau'in albasa daga ɗakin dafa abinci," kamar yadda Sam ya saka. Yanzu suna sayar da albasa yankakken, yankakken da bawo, duka mai zaƙi da ƙunci, ga abokan cinikin da suke buƙatar su.
Kayayyakinsu na Empire Sweet sun dace a duk inda ake buƙatar albasa mai laushi, wacce ba za ta ciji ba idan an ci sabo. Sun dace da salads, a saman burgers, a kan pizza da ciki ko a kan abinci na Mexica kamar salsa, tacos da fajitas.
Iyalin Zappala sun fara samar da albasa shekaru 79 da suka gabata a gundumar Oswego, New York, a kan ƙasa mara kyau kusa da tafkin Ontario. A yau, Zappala Farms ita ce mafi girma mai samar da albasa mai launin rawaya a gabas da Mississippi. Yana girma kimanin kadada 850 na albasa a kowace shekara akan ƙasa mai laushi da ma'adinai. Yana shuka girki da albasa mai zaki. Yana saye, tattarawa da sayar da albasa daga sauran masu noma. A kowace shekara, tana sayar da buhunan albasa 750,000 kimanin 50.
Sam ya yaba wa ɗan'uwansa, Jim, tare da samun hangen nesa da juriya don yin imani za su iya samun kuma su girma albasa mai dadi da ta girma a New York a cikin fall. Wannan zai sa su cikin kasuwa bayan sauran albasa mai dadi - Vidalias, Walla Walla Sweets, Texas Supersweets - sun wuce lokacin su.
Daular Sweet mai alamar kasuwanci ta fara halarta a cikin 1996, bayan Zappalas ya gabatar da shi a Baje kolin Jihar New York. An kama masu amfani da sauri. Yanzu, ana iya samun Empire Sweets a duk faɗin gabashin Arewacin Amurka da kasuwannin fitarwa kuma. Kamar Vidalias, Empire Sweets suna gwada kimanin 2.5 zuwa 3.5 akan sikelin tawali'u, ta amfani da ma'auni na gwajin matakan pyruvic acid.
A cikin 1978, dangin Zappala sun ƙirƙiri wani kasuwanci, dabam da Zappala Farms, mai suna Oswego Growers and Shippers. Wannan mahallin yana tattarawa da kasuwannin Zappala Farms albasa iri-iri, kuma yana yin duk tallace-tallace na Empire Fresh-Cuts kuma.
Rukunin Karshe
"A shekarar 2003, mun yanke shawarar cika nau'in albasa guda daya da ya rage mana," Sam ya ce game da shawarar da suka yanke na shiga kasuwancin albasa.
Har zuwa lokacin, ana sayar da albasarsu a matsayin sabo, dukan kwararan fitila ko dai a kwance ko a cikin buhunan mabukaci. Amma sun ga "canza yanayin zamantakewa," kamar yadda Sam ya kira shi, wanda mafi yawan masu amfani da albasa a cikin masana'antun abinci na abinci suna son shirye-shiryen amfani da albasarta ba tare da wani sharar gida ba ¬- kuma babu sauran ma'aikata masu zubar da hawaye suna tsaftacewa da wanke albasa a kwandon kicin.
Empire Fresh-Cuts yanzu yana samarwa kuma yana sayar da cikakken layi na kayan albasa mai dadi da ƙwanƙwasa ta amfani da kayan aikin zamani na zamani daga Turai ¬- inji waɗanda ke buƙatar ƙarancin aikin hannu.
Zappalas sun sami taimako da yawa don shiga kasuwanci. Kamfanin da kayan aikin mai fadin murabba'in 27,000 ya kai dalar Amurka miliyan 2.9 kuma yana samun tallafin kudi daga wata kungiya ta masu ba da lamuni da suka hada da Hukumar Kula da Kananan Kasuwanci da Hukumar Raya Masana'antu ta Oswego County. Hasashen sabbin ayyukan masana'antu 30 ya kasance abin ƙarfafawa ga gundumar.
Har yanzu, masu ba da bashi suna buƙatar tabbatar da kasuwancin zai tashi, kuma hakan yana nufin Empire Fresh-Cuts yana buƙatar samun dama ga kasuwanni.
"Yawancin manyan kamfanonin abinci suna buƙatar masu sarrafawa su sami tsarin HACCP kafin su ba da odar kayayyakin," in ji Olga Padilla-Zakour, darektan Cibiyar Kula da Abinci ta Jami'ar Cornell NYS.
Yin aiki tare da masu ba da shawara kan lafiyar abinci da ake samu ta Cibiyar Innovation ta NY Ag (NYAIC), Zappalas sun kammala aikin haɓaka shirin HACCP. Wannan ya kasance kamar "lasisi don mu'amala" tare da 'yan kwangilar sabis na abinci waɗanda ke ba da kayayyaki ga makarantu, wuraren cin abinci na kamfanoni, gidajen abinci, sojoji da sauran masu siyan abinci.
Sam, wanda ke kula da masana'antar, ya ce: "Biyu daga cikin manyan fa'idodin samun wannan shirin shine jawo sabbin masu siye da samun damar samar musu da matakin jin daɗi wanda ke kaiwa ga masu amfani. A ƙarshe, masu siye sun dogara da hanyoyinmu don kiyaye sarkar samar da abinci mai aminci. "
Don gina tsarin HACCP na Empire Fresh-Cuts, masu ba da shawara daga NYAIC sun ziyarci shuka sau da yawa, sun tsara tsarin da fom kuma sun kimanta tsarin aiki daga karɓa, topping, tailing da datsa ta hanyar yanka, rufewa, jaka da palletizing.
Ana sake kimanta tsare-tsaren HACCP yayin da yanayin sarrafawa ke canzawa kuma ana inganta su kowace shekara. Ƙungiyar Masarautar Fresh-Cuts HACCP ta haɗa da mai mallakar shuka da manajan Sam Zappala, mai kula da layi Abiu Velasquez, mai kula da kulawa / tsaftar muhalli Dale Chillson, mai kula da ingancin kulawa / tsaftar muhalli Robin Maurillo da masu ba da shawara na NYAIC Olga Padilla-Zakour da Randy Worobo daga Jami'ar Cornell.
Baya ga Tsarin HACCP Fresh Cuts na Empire Fresh Cuts' da Shirin Tsaron Abinci, ana gudanar da bincike na ɓangare na uku kowace shekara don tabbatar da Tsaron Abinci, Inganci da Ka'idojin Tsaro na Kayan Kayan Abinci suna cikin cikakkiyar yarda. A cikin watan Fabrairun 2006, Empire Fresh-Cuts ya gudanar da binciken NSF-Cook & Thurber kuma ya wuce da kashi 90.73 bisa dari, yana sanya kamfani cikin mafi kyawun ayyuka.
Haɗuwa da waɗannan sharuɗɗa na taimaka wa Empire Fresh-Cuts don ƙara faɗaɗa kwarin gwiwar abokin ciniki wajen siyan ingantaccen, amintaccen, ingantaccen samfurin albasa, in ji Sam.
Tun abubuwan da suka faru a ranar 11 ga Satumba, 2001, ana buƙatar wani tsarin tsaro, in ji shi. Duk ma'aikata a wurin sarrafa kayan masarufi na Empire Fresh-Cuts suna sanya baji na tantancewa kuma suna wucewa ta hanyoyin shiga inda aka tabbatar da asalinsu.
Sauran matakin tsaro yana da alaƙa da ingancin abinci da aminci. Ma'aikata "sun dace" kuma suna aiki a cikin yanayin sanyi mai zurfi na 34˚ F.
Ana adana albasa a cikin sanyi ko ajiyar CA tsakanin murabba'in ƙafa 70,000 na Oswego Growers and Shippers space. Kimanin 16,000 na ƙafar murabba'in 27,000 da aka keɓe ga Empire Fresh-Cuts shine sarari mai sanyi.
Don kafawa da kula da sarkar sanyi wanda ke hana ci gaban ƙananan ƙwayoyin cuta, ana saukar da albasarta zuwa 34˚ F sama da kwanaki biyu zuwa uku a cikin ajiya mai sanyi. Yawancin aikin tofa da wutsiya ana yin su ne da inji, amma saboda albasa tana da sama da kasa, dole ne a daidaita su da hannu, in ji Sam.
Zappalas na amfani da injinan bawon albasa guda biyu da suka saya daga Finis, mai tsara kayan sarrafa abinci kuma masana'anta a Ulft, Holland.
Ana tsabtace albasar ta hanyar nutsewa a cikin ruwa mai chlorin kuma yana motsawa cikin layi mai ci gaba wanda ke haifar da kusan fam 8,000 na samfurin ƙarshe kowace awa. Kayayyakin ƙarshe suna shiga cikin kwantena waɗanda suka haɗa da fakitin tire don zoben albasa, jakunkuna da manyan kwantena mai nauyin fam 1,600. Bayan an yanke albasa, ana bushewa sosai don cire danshi mara kyau.
A ƙarshen layin, ana rufe shari'o'i kuma an yi musu pallet don ɗakin jigilar kaya. Oswego Growers and Shippers sun mallaki tarin manyan motoci, kamfani mai suna ZTX, amma galibi ya dogara ga dillalan waje don jigilar kayayyaki zuwa kasuwanni daga Kanada zuwa Texas.
Shirye-shirye don Nan gaba
Jim Zappala, wanda ke gudanar da aikin gona, ya yi farin ciki game da sabon kamfani lokacin da aka fara.
“Saboda za mu samu fasahar da za ta ba mu damar sarrafa nau’o’in albasa iri-iri, za mu iya samun wani kaso mai tsoka na kayan da muke samu daga masu noman gida wadanda sukan samar da albasa kadan kadan fiye da albasar da ake nomawa a sassan kasar nan. don haka muna tallafawa tattalin arzikinmu na gida,” in ji shi a wata hira da aka yi da shi a lokacin da aka kafa sabon kamfani.
"Samun namu kayan yana sanya mu cikin matsayi mai karfi idan aka kwatanta da sauran na'urori masu sarrafawa.
“Sarrafa ita ce hanyar haɗin gwiwa ta ƙarshe a cikin sake zagayowar samar da albasa a gundumar Oswego. Za mu iya samarwa abokan cinikinmu sabbin kayan albasa da aka sarrafa a kusan kowace shekara ba tare da zana danyen kayan daga wasu wurare ba.”
Kamfanin yana shirin "zama mai da hankali kan albasa," in ji Sam. “Muna yin albasa ne kawai. Wannan illa ce ta wasu hanyoyi, amma a daya bangaren, mun san albasa. Muna buƙatar kawai mu mai da hankali ga abin da kasuwa ke buƙata.
“Tabbas ana samun karuwar bukatar kayayyakin albasa mai zaki. Daga salatin dankalin turawa na rani zuwa salads ɗin da aka jefa zuwa albasa masu fure zuwa yankan fajita, mutane ba sa son m, albasa mai laushi a cikin sabon tasa.
“Albasa kayan lambu ne mai lafiya. Muna bukatar mu tabbatar sun dace da cikin mutane da yawa. Yana da kyau a kawo kayan lambu mai kyau zuwa wannan kasuwa. Mun san wurin da ya dace don kowace irin albasa.”
Akwai kalubale a gaba?
Sam ya lissafa kadan.
Ɗayan ita ce gasar da ake shigo da su daga Kudancin Amirka, kuma, a nan gaba, kasar Sin, wadda ta fi kowace kasa noman albasa a duniya. Saboda karancin farashin ma’aikata a wadannan kasashe, “ba shakka filin wasa bai yi daidai ba,” in ji shi. A daya bangaren kuma, shiga cikin sabbin albasa, wani yunkuri ne da aka yi na fitar da albasa daga fagen sayar da kayayyaki da sanya su cikin darajar da ake karawa.
Farashin tallace-tallace yana karuwa, daidai da farashin man fetur.
A gefe guda kuma, "wannan kasuwancin iyali ne," in ji shi. "Kuma akwai ikhlasi a cikin kasuwancin samar da har yanzu yana wartsakewa."
Babbar 'yar Sam kwanan nan ta fara aiki da sabon-yanke na kamfanin, kuma babban ɗan Jim ya sauke karatu daga kwaleji kuma ya shiga cikin aikin girma a Zappala Farms.