The Client

Founded in California in 1993, 4Earth Farms has operated around the core principles of rapid innovation, sustainable practices, and measurable stewardship to become one of the largest suppliers of organic, conventional, and specialty produce in the United States.

Process
Grower, packer, shipper

Headquarters
Commerce, CA

Certifications
SQF

Facility Size
160,000 square feet

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The Issue

Lydia Ortega and the team at 4Earth Farms weren't strangers to the challenge of managing the sampling and testing program at the company's large primary facility. Collecting, verifying, and organizing the piles of paperwork filled out multiple times per day for the huge range of seasonal products was overly-complex and prone to human error - it was time for a change.

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"
Before, we had so much paperwork – it was very complicated. Whenever we needed to find a specific piece of information, we needed to go through all of the paperwork, which wasn’t always organized where you needed it at that specific moment. Data analysis was impossible.
"
Lydia Ortega
Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - 4Earth Farms

The Solution

Pre-programmed Sampling Rotations Ensure Coverage

  • Built-in rotations eliminate guesswork or errors in selecting sites to sample

  • Sampling sites in rotations can be further subdivided by zone to ensure thorough testing of all vulnerable areas
  • Customizable workflows give managers additional flexibility to add new zones or sampling locations as needed for spot-checks or follow-up

Automation Allows for Faster, More Accurate Identification of Issues

  • Automatic time stamps allow for accurate tracking of failed tests and association of at-risk product with out-of-spec results

  • Built-in pass/fail notifications clearly indicate to operators and management when results are out of spec
  • Quick dropdown menus eliminate messy handwriting as an obstacle

Comprehensive Workflows Streamline Retesting Procedures

  • Failing test results can be quickly and easily pushed into a retest workflow and immediately sent to the relevant operator(s) for completion

  • Workflow steps are captured in an auditable, time-stamped history that can prove collaboration and food safety culture
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"
We wanted to be sure we had a tool that would allow us to prevent mistakes and is smart enough to tell us if things are correct – we wanted to eliminate human error and get better data. Provision is like an extra pair of eyes looking out for us.
"
Lydia Ortega
Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - 4Earth Farms
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Building on Success

By eliminating the risk of human error through the application of Provision's smart tools, automation, and intuitive design, Lydia and the 4Earth team are looking forward to a smoother, more streamlined experience with their sampling and testing procedures. As the business continues to grow, Provision's platform has also been incorporated into other aspects of the food safety management system, ensuring a holistic approach that will see them well into the future of the business.

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"
Provision is a good project, it's very user-friendly. The information is very easy to access; I've used other ERP systems where the information is very hard to find, and it doesn't feel custom-made for you.
"
Lydia Ortega
Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - 4Earth Farms