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7 Pillars Of Success: How Legacy Packing And Cold Storage Dominates The San Joaquin Valley Cold Chain

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Legacy Packing and Cold Storage stands as a critical hub in the fresh produce supply chain, particularly for the vibrant agricultural output of California's San Joaquin Valley. As of December 23, 2025, the company is at the forefront of a major corporate restructuring designed to fuel "rapid growth" in the vertically-integrated food sector, signaling a new era of investment and expansion in its state-of-the-art cold storage and packing operations.

Operating as a key component of the AC Foods Family, under the recently reorganized AC Brands umbrella, Legacy Packing & Cold Storage is leveraging its deep roots—dating back to 1958—with cutting-edge technology to handle high-volume fresh fruit commodities. This strategic position ensures that high-quality citrus, stone fruit, and deciduous fruit are efficiently packed, stored, and distributed to global markets, cementing its status as a vital link in modern cold chain management.

Legacy Packing and Cold Storage: Company Profile & Key Affiliations

Legacy Packing and Cold Storage is more than just a refrigerated warehouse; it is a specialized facility focused on the production and preservation of fresh fruit. Its strategic location in California's primary agricultural region, combined with a commitment to innovation, defines its operational profile.

  • Primary Headquarters: Dinuba, CA
  • Key Geographic Region: San Joaquin Valley, California
  • Core Industry Specialization: Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage, Food Products, Fresh Fruit Production (including Deciduous Fruit, Stone Fruit, and Citrus).
  • Facility Size: Operates a 150,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility.
  • Foundational History: Has been a trusted partner to citrus growers since 1958.
  • Parent Company/Affiliation: Part of the AC Foods Family, now operating under the restructured AC Brands.
  • Sister Company: Closely affiliated with Suntreat Packing & Shipping Co. (often referred to as Suntreat/Legacy).
  • Key Leadership (AC Brands): Craig Hope (CEO of AC Brands).
  • Certifications & Partnerships: Involved in programs like the Chilean Fruit Air Monitoring (CFAM) Program and works with postharvest solutions leaders like Pace International.

The State-of-the-Art Technology Driving Cold Chain Efficiency

The success of a modern fresh fruit operation hinges on speed and precision, particularly in the critical hours immediately following harvest. Legacy Packing and Cold Storage has made significant investments in technology to minimize time-to-cold and maximize product shelf life for their client base.

High-Speed Packing and Sorting Technology

At the core of the Dinuba facility is a commitment to advanced processing. The company completed the installation of a high-speed packing line with the latest sorting and defect detection technology around 2015. This technology is crucial for maintaining the integrity of delicate commodities like stone fruit and pome fruit, ensuring only the highest quality product moves into the cold chain. The use of advanced sorting equipment allows for:

  • Accurate grading of fruit based on size, color, and blemish detection.
  • Increased throughput to handle the massive seasonal volume of San Joaquin Valley produce.
  • Reduced manual handling, which minimizes the risk of physical damage and quality degradation.

Advanced Refrigerated Warehousing and Cold Chain Management

The 150,000 square foot facility is a hub for refrigerated warehousing, specializing in creating the optimal environment for various fruit types. The focus is on maintaining an unbroken cold chain, a process where fruit pulp temperatures must be kept below a recommended threshold to prevent irreversible quality loss. While specific proprietary systems are not public, the operation utilizes best practices common in the region, including:

  • Pre-Cooling Techniques: Rapidly removing field heat from newly harvested fruit to halt the ripening process.
  • Temperature and Humidity Control: Precise management of storage rooms to match the specific requirements of citrus and deciduous fruit.
  • Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Readiness: Operating in the San Joaquin Valley, a key region for CA storage, suggests the capacity to utilize techniques that manage oxygen and carbon dioxide levels for long-term storage of commodities like table grapes, significantly extending market windows.

The Strategic Vision: Rapid Growth Under AC Brands

The most significant recent development for Legacy Packing and Cold Storage is its role in the corporate restructuring of AC Foods into AC Brands. This move is a clear signal of an aggressive, future-focused strategy aimed at maximizing market reach and operational efficiency.

Vertical Integration and Expansion

AC Brands' strategy is explicitly focused on building out a "regenerative, vertically-integrated food business." For Legacy/Suntreat, this integration means tighter control over the entire supply chain, from the nursery (AC Nursery) and farming (AC Farming) to the final packing and distribution. This model allows for:

  • Optimized Harvest Schedules: Coordinating farming operations directly with the high-speed packing line.
  • Quality Assurance: Implementing quality standards from the field to the final storage.
  • Future Expansion: The restructuring is designed to "plan for investment in future expansion," suggesting that the 150,000 square foot facility may see further capacity growth to meet increasing demand.

Digital Transformation and Operational Excellence

To support this rapid growth, the company is also investing in digital infrastructure. Suntreat, which shares operations with Legacy, is implementing a digital maintenance shift using the Ultimo software platform. This shift from legacy systems to advanced digital tools is crucial for modern logistics and cold storage, enabling:

  • Predictive Maintenance: Reducing downtime on the high-speed packing line and vital refrigeration equipment.
  • Enhanced Compliance: Streamlining reporting for global standards and programs like the CFAM Program.
  • Supply Chain Visibility: Improving logistics, planning, and overall supply chain management to prevent damage to perishables and reduce food waste.

Legacy's Impact on the Fresh Fruit Market

Legacy Packing and Cold Storage's long-standing presence since 1958 has established it as a key player, particularly for California's citrus and stone fruit industries. Their dedication to using postharvest solutions, often in collaboration with global leaders like Pace International, ensures that the seasonal bounty of the San Joaquin Valley can reach consumers worldwide with minimal quality loss. The combination of their history, strategic location, and continuous investment in sorting and refrigerated warehousing technology makes them an essential element in the complex global food logistics network, driving both local economic stability and global access to fresh, high-quality fruit. Through the AC Brands strategy, Legacy is not just preserving fruit; it is actively shaping the future of a vertically-integrated, regenerative food system.

7 Pillars of Success: How Legacy Packing and Cold Storage Dominates the San Joaquin Valley Cold Chain
legacy packing and cold storage
legacy packing and cold storage

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