growing pains as customers continually demand more from Red Hat. He is always having to find ways to navigate between the world of Canada-wide consumer demand and the quieter life of greenhouse level operations. Aleman believes Red Hat has largely been able to maintain that balance, but it has meant compromises to keep all sides happy and keep operations running smoothly. Still, Aleman does feel the irony of his position.
"What's interesting is we moved our sales office into downtown Calgary about five years ago. So I think it is interesting when I go there to meet with our sales staff; it's a totally different feel. I think it is actually an exciting feel that way. Then you've got your grower base in Redcliff, and it's kind of laid back and focused on quality and good produce. And yet, you kind of want your sales team to be pressured into finding that next market and to be aggressive," says Aleman.
Back on the floor at Red Hat another group of employees is working the cucumber line. Lines of English cucumbers grown in Mexico move through the conveyors with speed as line workers sort, package, label and box them for shipping. There is a constant rhythm to the work which takes the workers through the day. Cucumbers are Red Hat's biggest volume of vegetables by far, and much of the company's expansion over the last year was to bring in new, faster machines to deal with the increasing volume of cucumbers expected by their customers. Customers now expect Red Hat will provide vegetables all year round. This means that Red Hat has had to adjust its corporate strategy to bring in produce from southern climes like Mexico in the winter when its local growers are not growing, or risk losing their customers' business.
According to Aleman, it is far more expensive to import these vegetables than locally grown varieties, but moving to ongoing operations has allowed Red Hat to avoid seasonal lay- offs to long term staff as was normal in the past. Aleman says year-round supply and production is just the price of Red Hat's continuing success with large food companies in Canada.
"So they came to us and said we want cucumbers in our stores, and we want
you to provide them all year round. So if you don't grow them during certain periods you have to source that product either out of Mexico, or out of Europe, or out of the U.S. In all that, we're either going to do it or they're going to do it without us. The other thing is we try to encourage our growers to grow year-round. So we have lit (heated) operations, and that's new over the last four years. Buyers and consumers are looking for locally grown product. We say local, it means even in Canada in the winter time," states Aleman.
Red Hat Supervisor Gwen Hansen stands looking over the boxes of product in the tomato section. She is double checking quality and labels. Hansen has been with Red Hat Co-op for 15 years. She grew up in Redcliff and has known of the cooperative since she was young. However it was only by working at Red Hat that she has come to know how major a player it is in the produce market in Canada. Hansen is still amazed by the changes she has seen in the company since she started working the line back in the 1990s.
"You know, we went from packing by hand to machine packing," remembers Hansen. "And we went from making boxes by hand to boxes being made by tray formers now. It's just been phenomenal. It's a company that's going to grow into the future."
For all the changes brought in during her time at Red Hat, Hansen still feels the cooperative is all about people.
"The people are good to work with: Just the different personalities they have, and you have a lot of fun days here. Work is what you make of it, and the employees I work with are really good employees. You have to have a team atmosphere in order to get anything done in here," says Hansen.
It's a statement which holds true from the top all the way down when you're in the produce business in Canada. Aleman walks the floor at Red Hat every day. He knows his employees. He knows his growers. And he knows his customers.
"It's fun to be part of an industry that is fresh and producing a product that helps people. It's a healthy product, and it's great to know you're a part of that," says Aleman. ■
OUR COMMUNITIES ■ OUR REGION ■ OUR PEOPLE | 35
�
41137969•03/26/13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116