DDJ Farms • Premium Grading Standards
If it isn't premium, it stays on the farm.
Transparent, honest grading. No surprises at the bottom of the box.
Our Philosophy
The biggest frustration for a broker or retailer is opening a crate to find a “mixed bag” of quality. We solve for this through transparent, honest grading. At DDJ Farms, we don’t hide sub-par fruit at the bottom of the box. We grade by hand, and we grade with discipline. We understand that our reputation is only as good as the consistency of the crates we deliver.
GRADE A
The Premium Standard
THE PROFILE
Uniform size, zero skin blemishes, and maximum firmness.
THE LOGIC
We hand-select Grade A fruit for high-end supermarkets and export-quality requirements where the customer buys with their eyes. By managing the nutrition of our Ansal and Rafano varieties to exact levels, we ensure these tomatoes don’t just look perfect—they possess the internal structure to survive the retail shelf without softening.
GRADE B
The Commercial Standard
THE PROFILE
Firm, healthy fruit with minor variations in shape or size.
THE LOGIC
This is the workhorse of the bulk market. Grade B tomatoes meet all our technical standards for shelf-life and taste but may not meet the strict aesthetic uniformity of Grade A. For partners who need reliable, high-volume quality at a commercial scale, Grade B offers the best balance of value and performance.
GRADE C
The Processing Standard
THE PROFILE
Healthy fruit that falls outside our aesthetic or size standards.
THE LOGIC
We do not believe in wasting produce, but we also do not believe in diluting the quality of our premium shipments. Grade C tomatoes are separated for local processing and catering. By maintaining this strict boundary, we ensure that when you pay for a premium grade, you receive 100% of that grade—nothing less.
The Human Guarantee
Grading is a manual process, not an automated one.
Machines are built for speed, but they lack the intuition of a farmer.
Every crate at DDJ Farms passes through a manual inspection. We look for the subtle signs of shelf-life—the exact tension of the skin and the weight of the fruit—that tell us if a tomato will still be firm ten days after it leaves our gate.
This is the Physical Discipline required to be a dependable link in your supply chain. We provide our partners with transparency because we want you to know exactly what you are paying for: no surprises, just the standard we promised.
We grade for your bottom line.
In the commercial market, “approximate” quality is a hidden cost. When a crate contains mixed grades, the retailer faces high spoilage rates, and the broker faces rejected shipments. By enforcing a strict grading discipline, we provide you with a predictable asset.
Our Promise: When you buy a ton of Grade A from DDJ Farms, you arrive at the market with a ton of Grade A.
- Zero-Waste Shipments
- Predictable Quality Assets
- Reduced Sorting Labor
- Eliminated Waste Risk