Industry leader in size and innovation.
At Morning Star, we consistently strive to improve quality, increase efficiency, expand our operations, and create sustainable pricing through new and innovative technology, economies of scale, and vertical integration. Morning Star supplies around 10% of the world’s ingredient tomato products, and has an average tomato paste production capacity that is three times that of the balance of the California industry. Our high level of innovation in vertically integrated operations allows us to identify and control costs, and pass these benefits on to our customers.
Leaders in the California Industry
Even our smallest facility is larger than the next largest California facility. Our scale, vertical integration, and state-of-the-art facilities, allow for reliable production at a high level, year after year.
Los Banos, California (South)
Built in 1990
Processing capacity – 31% equivalent tomato paste:
- 665 tons/hour
- 218,017 pounds/hour
- Annual potential production of paste approximately 450 mil pounds
Williams, California (North)
Built in 1995
Processing capacity – 31% equivalent tomato paste:
- 1,348 tons/hour
- 441,859 pounds/hour
- Annual potential production of paste approximately 800 mil pounds
Santa Nella, California (South)
Purchased and rebuilt in 2002
Processing capacity – *31% equivalent tomato paste:
- 1,319 tons/hour
- Conventional: 770 paste | 112 diced
- Conventional: 100 other
- Organic: 200 paste | 120 diced
- 328,257 pounds/hour
- Annual potential production:
- Paste approximately 775 mil pounds
- Diced approximately 540 mil pounds
A history of innovation.
Our founder was the first to build a tomato paste factory exclusively producing and selling ingredient tomato paste, bringing about major innovations in quality and efficiency.
High Yield Harvesting
More sorting takes place in the factories as opposed to the fields providing higher yields for our growers.
Leveraging Gravity
Gravity fed unloading hill and flume systems use minimal to no electricity and decrease breakdowns.
Settling Ponds
More sorting takes place in the factories as opposed to the fields providing higher yields for our growers.
Single Product Line
In order to ensure consistency in the products we produce, we blend early in the process and finish with one line.
300 Gallon Bag-in-Box
First in the industry to supply the 300-gallon bag-in-box to the marketplace.
Cooling Ponds
Water used by the evaporators is cooled naturally in large ponds, displacing energy intensive cooling towers, then pumped back into the evaporator.