Vegetable processor returns to its roots

The new owners of vegetable processor Premium Fresh Farms are happy to report that their firm has gone back to its roots, so to speak.The Salinas, Calif. company recently regained the name under which it was founded in 1980, thanks to a group of investors who bought the firm’s assets from Coronet Foods Inc., Wheeling, W.Va. One of the investors, Premium’s original founder and current president Emmitt Pfost, said the group includes "a family of growers, a harvesting company and a highly talented group of individuals with years of experience in value-added vegetable production and sales."Coronet had purchased the firm and its 75,000-square-foot processing facility in 1990 and was operating it as Coronet Foods Western Division. The company offers fresh-cut, processed salad and vegetable products."We have hit the ground running. Everyone on our staff is in high spirits," said Pfost. "Our group is financially sound and extremely committed to the success of Premium Fresh Farms."