Boggiatto Today

In 1989, Michael Boggiatto joined with Jeffry Hitchcock and growers, Ron and Ed Panziera, to form Boggiatto Produce, Inc. A spin-off of the original Boggiatto family business, this new venture focused on shipping a variety of fresh produce. Founded on a tradition of excellence, this team proved to be very successful, drawing upon their families’ long associations with agriculture in the Salinas Valley.

Boggiatto Produce, Inc. is headquartered about 100 miles south of San Francisco in the heart of the Salinas Valley, known internationally as the "Salad Bowl of the World." The company offers a variety of fresh produce items, ranging from artichokes and Brussels sprouts to romaine hearts.

The company’s flagship product is Garden Hearts® hearts of romaine, which has set the gold standard for excellence in the foodservice industry. Available throughout the United States, Garden Hearts® hearts of romaine are the young, sweet and tender, inner leaves that are harvested from mature heads of romaine lettuce. They are grown from proprietary seed with special cultivation techniques to produce an authentic, solid heart of romaine. Boggiatto’s Garden Hearts® hearts of romaine have body and crunch that is superior to regular romaine. Because the outer leaves are trimmed away during harvest, they require much less prep time and are known for their extended shelf life. It’s not a surprise that these hearts are the most specified in the foodservice industry.

The newest member of the family is Garden Hearts® Iceberg Babies®. Introduced in 2005, these diminutive gems are only the size of a softball, but pack the punch of a major league grand slam! Grown with proprietary seed and techniques, they’re carefully nurtured and cultivated to produce a moderately dense head. With these Babies, it’s all about presentation – whether you fill it, slice it, wedge it, wrap it or stack it, the result is sure to delight. They definitely put the sizzle back in iceberg lettuce!

Boggiatto Produce ships several million cartons of produce each year from the Salinas Valley, and during the winter months, from the Imperial Valley in California's desert region. The highest standards of food safety practices and state-of-the-art cultivation and harvest methods are used in every aspect of the operation from planting to shipping.