IP's own Watermelon Queen

The last two weeks have been humid, hot and hectic for Heather Raulerson. As the Bulk Produce Segment Sales Manager, Heather leads the pre-build of over a million ClimaBins® in anticipation of a busy watermelon season.  

Early in the spring, watermelon farmers contract beekeepers to pollinate their crops. The bees are moved from farm to farm and work with diligence. Picking starts in mid-April in Southern Florida and moves north into central Florida and Georgia through May.  

The introduction of ClimaGuard® to IP’s bulk containers completely revolutionized bulk produce transportation, with greater strength allowing for more bins to be stacked and moved in a single truck, and moisture anti-wicking ClimaGuard® technology, which prevents spilled cargo.

ClimaBins® are delivered to the front line of production, to outdoor packing sheds stationed in vast fields of green vines. A team of workers moves along the rows, cutting the vines with sharp slender knives. A second team follows behind, collecting the ripe watermelons and tossing them into trucks. Unlike our distinctive ClimaBin® graphic, which depicts a vintage flatbed delivery truck, the vehicles used in the watermelon fields today are yellow school buses, converted for agriculture use by removing the roof. Piled high in green and yellow, the melons are delivered to the packing shed, where they are graded and sorted into corrugated bulk containers based on circumference.  

Several IP bulk plants facilitate this volume, and Heather stands at the center of this supply network, providing products critical to the food and beverage industry. Delivery needs to be coordinated at short notice to ensure a maximum yield of fresh fruit. To hear her tell it, she’s an “air traffic controller” for the U.S. bulk business, ensuring growers can pack and ship their crop the moment the melons are ripe.  

The ClimaBin® is “definitely a game changer,” according to Heather. The introduction of ClimaGuard® to IP’s bulk containers completely revolutionized bulk produce transportation, with greater strength allowing for more bins to be stacked and moved in a single truck, and moisture anti-wicking ClimaGuard® technology, which prevents spilled cargo. Bins are stacked up three high in the semitruck bed, resulting in up to 2000 pounds standing on top of just four triple-reinforced corrugated walls.  

For Heather, watermelons run in the family. Her family farmed watermelons in Florida, and as a teenager, she would help drive the tractor. After graduating high school, Heather was chosen as Florida’s “Watermelon Queen,” a considerable distinction that was “more of an internship than a pageant.” As Watermelon Queen, she served as the face and spokesperson for the regional watermelon industry. She traveled “all across the country...to Philadelphia, Kentucky, California...visiting grocery stores, trade shows, conventions, and the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit.”  

Heather carried this valuable industry experience to the University of Florida and their College of Agriculture. She knew early on there was a good living to be made in packaging. Asked if this deviation from the family business was well-received, she laughs and says it took some convincing. The success, however, is undeniable. Heather has been selling bulk bins for over 24 years.  

Learn more about ClimaBin® and let us know how ClimaBin® can support your business!