Pictsweet is one of the largest frozen vegetables suppliers in the United States. Founded in 1945, it is a fourth-generation family-owned company with production facilities in Bells, Tennessee; Santa Maria, California; Monte Alto, Texas; and Bridgeville, Delaware, as well as distribution centers in Brownsville, Tennessee and Ogden, Utah. Pictsweet provides vegetables nationwide under its own name and for retailers’ private labels (including Kroger and Wal-Mart). It also supplies military commissaries worldwide. The Santa Maria plant was originally constructed by Alpac in 1977, with Pictsweet purchasing the facility in 1991. An ammonia-based refrigeration system cools incoming vegetables and freezes the products after preparation in the 150,000 square foot processing plant, and maintains a 42,000 square foot frozen goods warehouse for storing the veggies prior to distribution. Over the course of the year, the plant processes a variety of different vegetables, from broccoli to bell peppers, in order to build up inventory during the harvest season.