Family-owned Testa Produce not only delivers fresh, it is living fresh. The Chicago-based company was one of the first area firms to convert its entire delivery fleet of 52 vehicles over to biodiesel. Now, it is getting even cleaner.
Last year, the company started incorporating compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks into its fleet. With some 15 CNG vehicles operating, the company was awarded a Chicago Area Clean Cities 2015 Clean Fuel Champion award. The award is given annually to an individual, fleet, organization, or business that promotes alternative fuel, uses domestic fuel, or reduces petroleum usage.
“As a produce company, we’re naturally a green company,” says owner Peter Testa. “So, using renewable energy and environmentally friendly fuels all kind of fits together.”
All of the company’s cars are hybrid models. And its three-year-old facility is as green as the vehicles and produce.
“Testa Produce is leading the way when it comes to being green, and there is lots of green at this company—and not only vegetables,” says Samantha Bingham, coordinator, Chicago Area Clean Cities. “The company has a green roof, solar panels, and a wind turbine—but it also uses clean, green alternative fuels to power its fleet.”
Founded in 1912, Testa delivers fresh produce to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, country clubs, sports venues, and catering services. The goal of the company is to reduce its dependence on foreign oil.
“Our 24- and 26-ft. refrigerated CNG trucks have replaced our biodiesel trucks, helping us to lower our carbon footprint even more and bringing us closer to our goal of zero dependence on foreign oil within five years,” says Barbara Daly, facilities and quality assurance manager.
The fleet now consists of 14 CNG Freightliner M2 straight trucks and a CNG Freightliner Cascadia tractor. The remainder of the fleet, which includes 46 straight trucks, nine trailers, and six Class 8 tractors, runs on biodiesel during the spring, summer and fall, switching to diesel only in the winter.
Right now, the fleet is a mix of leased and owned trucks. “We are transitioning to owning our entire fleet,” Daly says.
A typical Testa truck covers between 35,000 and 50,000 mi. a year, making anywhere from one to 25 stops, depending on the route. Delivery areas include almost all of Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Merryville and Hammond areas of Indiana, Daly says.
The goal, she adds, is to convert the entire truck fleet to CNG by 2018. Thirteen additional vehicles will be added this year, bringing the fleet’s total to 28.
As mentioned, the company’s efforts to be green go beyond just its truck fleet. Its Chicago state-of-the-art, 91,000-sq.-ft. LEED Platinum Certified facility features the latest in green building technologies. Inside, separate temperature-controlled refrigeration zones and an RF wireless temperature monitoring system ensure proper cold chain integrity of all the produce moving into and out of the facility.
Testa says its green initiatives have reduced company costs by as much as 15% per year, and it is only getting greener.