“Value Added”, “Convenience, “Precut” and “Triple Washed” are more than just buzzwords, it's here to stay in the kitchen to cut down your prep time while upping your nutrition! Just ask Kevin Tottino, Value-Added Production Manager at Ocean Mist Farms.
If you’ve enjoyed packaged convenience vegetables like our Cooking Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, and Season & Steam product line, you’ve already experienced the finished products that were processed in the Value-Added Department Kevin manages. And even if you haven’t purchased our value-added veg items at the grocery store, you’ve likely had our convenience veg products served at your favorite restaurants. Yes, we offer convenience vegetables for food service distribution, too!
We caught up with Kevin to learn more about his role at Ocean Mist Farms and the Value-Added department he has been instrumental in building over the past few years. Keep reading below!
- How long have you worked at Ocean Mist Farms?
I have worked at Ocean Mist Farms full-time for 9 years. My very first job was servicing the cooler forklifts during the summer.
- How would you explain your role/what you do to someone not in the ag industry?
As the Value-Added Production Manager, daily I am working with sales and the field managers to create a production schedule based on upcoming orders and the raw product we have available to us to process. I also work at making our value-added processes more efficient through equipment automation.
- What's the most significant lesson you've learned on the job?
Being patient, that changes will always take longer then we expect, and to always stay focused on the end goal.
- Did you expect to go into this field?
As a child, I wanted to be a race car driver but I knew that wouldn't work out as I got older 😂. I've always enjoyed working with family throughout the years and I've always been passionate about working with anything mechanical, problem solving and optimizing processes. Agriculture is a tight community and there are many careers within it beyond traditional farming.
- What does an ideal weekend look like for you?
Making breakfast with my family and going on an adventure after to the beach, hike, bike ride, etc. Doing anything outdoors always makes for a great weekend!
- If you could learn anything what would it be?
I would love to get my pilot license. Flying has always interested me and I love the idea of being able to go where you want when you want.
- What is the best advice you have ever received?
You're only as good as the people you have around you.
- What's the best part about working at Ocean Mist Farms?
The family business culture.
- If you were an OMF vegetable, which one would you be and why?
The artichoke of course! Who wouldn't want to be Arti??!
- Your favorite way to prepare artichokes?
Hands-down best way to have artichokes is grilled. 😋 (Side note: see our favorite recipes for grilled baby artichokes and standard grilled artichokes)
