Fresh Facts

1. In the mid-1920s, Fresh Express founder and California produce visionary Bruce Church returned to his Salinas, California, roots and began working in the Salinas Valley produce industry. By the 1930s, he and three partners formed an ice company that supported a growing wave of packing and shipping fresh heads of lettuce across the country in ice-packed rail cars.




2. It was then that the popular name "iceberg" lettuce was born: As the trains bearing the cold heads of lettuce came through towns along the way, people would call out with excitement, "The icebergs are coming, the icebergs are coming!"




3. We produce over 40 million pounds of salad each month.




4. Over 20 million servings of our salads are consumed every week.




5. The average American consumer eats about 30 pounds of lettuce each year.




6. In 1989, we were the first to successfully package and nationally distribute a fresh-cut, ready-to-eat salad. In fact, we created an entirely new produce category!




7. One of our many "firsts" was the introduction in 1991 of our Complete Salad Kits -- a single bag with everything that you need for a restaurant-style salad: a terrific combination of lettuces, condiments like croutons, cheese and other savory treats, plus mouthwatering dressings.




8. To ensure the ultimate in freshness, we tenderly rush lettuces from the field to coolers within hours of harvest.




9. Our salads are thoroughly washed, rinsed and gently dried, then sealed in our patented "Keep-Crisp®” breathable bag to keep their just-picked freshness without preservatives.




10. Fresh Express has been recognized numerous times for our comprehensive food safety system used to protect our customers.