The heart: The powerhouse. The body’s most vital organ. The silent rhythm behind each waking moment—every step, every strategy. For Sambrailo Packaging, the team members who have built and continue to uphold its 103-year history are the true heartbeat of the business. With over a century and counting of success in the produce packaging space, the company attributes every incredible milestone and achievement to the many individuals who have worked together to make them possible.
This people-first mindset shows up across every aspect of Sambrailo’s operations, and is one of the key ways the packaging provider continues to stand out as an industry leader.
“At the end of the day, it all comes down to our team,” Kiersten Sambrailo Clontz, Chief Business Officer, shares, emphasizing how every single member plays a critical role in achieving Sambrailo’s overall mission. “We make every decision with a focus on doing the right thing for our team. This is how our service and legacy are upheld—through our people.”
The support and expertise of its crew are at the core of Sambrailo’s growth as a company, enabling it to keep pace with evolving packaging demands and innovations in fresh produce for more than a century.
Dedicated to creating the best solutions for its customers’ needs, Sambrailo has developed a comprehensive suite of fully customizable agricultural packaging services. This includes tray make-up, real-time inventory, product development, quality assurance, marketing services, and food safety solutions.
The packaging maven’s customer service and operations team members have a combined 100 years of experience with Sambrailo, witnessing decades of product and service developments that have helped it continuously meet the changing needs of its partners.
“As the industry has evolved, so have we,” says Kiersten, while I try to envision what the Sambrailo of today might have looked like upon its founding in 1923. “That is because of the dedicated and innovative people we have on our team to provide support through all of the changes—from customer service to forklift drivers, warehouse managers, and machine operators. Our procurement team can predict needs before they are asked and is dedicated to ensuring our customers’ deliveries are made on time.”
Over four generations, Sambrailo’s leadership has established a strong foundation, recognized for its packaging innovations, services, and products. With extensive capabilities and several decades of experience, the company enables its partners to focus solely on their most essential task: bringing fresh produce to people.
“We make every decision with a focus on doing the right thing for our team. This is how our service and legacy are upheld—through our people.”
Kiersten Sambrailo Clontz, Chief Business Officer, Sambrailo Packaging
In doing so, the company continues to build and expand its business by creating new products and services that are proficiently designed to help its customers improve their packaging methods and operations. While spearheading packaging advancements in the berry, tomato, and mushroom categories and enhancing its partners’ operational efficiency, Sambrailo has not only created a strong platform for industry growth but also established a level of credibility that is well-respected within its network.
“Given Sambrailo’s reputation of honesty and integrity—along with our longevity in the industry—we have earned the trust that we will always do the right thing for our customers, and that we have their best interest at heart,” Kiersten adds, highlighting how Sambrailo’s historic legacy and long-term partnerships are key strengths for the company. “We are proud to be a part of an incredible community of grower-shippers and retailers that have partnered with us for over 100 years.”
As Kiersten explains, this prestigious reputation was not forged overnight. Over its 103-year history, Sambrailo has eclipsed various milestones that have set the stage not just for the company’s growth but also for broader industry advancement.
Kiersten’s great-grandfather Charles Sambrailo began servicing apple growers in Watsonville, California’s Pajaro Valley, in 1923. The packaging ace’s products and services advanced gradually alongside the industry, guided by the leadership of each generation of the Sambrailo family. The progression of Sambrailo’s packaging portfolio reflects the produce industry’s steady evolution. From nailing together wooden apple crates to introducing its first strawberry clamshell in 1987 and later pioneering ReadyCycle®, a leading sustainable packaging solution, the Sambrailo team has built a cherished legacy in the produce industry.
In 2026, Sambrailo stands as a recognized provider, delivering an advanced suite of packaging services fully customizable for each partner and their operations. The company has strategically expanded its capabilities to handle everything from product development, marketing, and design to inventory management, forecasting, quality assurance, traceability, and reporting.
“Given Sambrailo [Packaging’s] reputation of honesty and integrity—along with our longevity in the industry—we have earned the trust that we will always do the right thing for our customers, and that we have their best interest at heart.”
“As we have expanded our products and offerings over the decades, we have put an emphasis on the service aspect, providing more than just physical product,” Kiersten explains. “This includes quality assurance, inventory management, and procurement forecasting to help our partners ensure adequate supply.”
Through 103 years of industry innovation, challenges, and growth, Sambrailo has stayed true to its guiding principle of “doing what is best for the produce.” This ethos is reflected across the company’s entire packaging and service portfolio. All of Sambrailo’s solutions are uniquely customizable, allowing suppliers to strategically adapt their packaging operations for retail, farmers’ markets, produce stands, grocery delivery services, and beyond.
With a highly skilled team overseeing each step and a commitment to service, quality, and innovation, the supplier simplifies its partners’ packaging needs and allows produce to hold its position as the leading priority.
As it continues to build on its already prominent industry presence, Sambrailo is expanding its reach into other key categories, sparking similar category advancements to those we have already seen across the berry, tomato, and mushroom sectors.
“We will be using our expertise in the berry industry to expand into other areas of the industry and new regions, offering this skillset to other commodities and companies,” Kiersten shares. “We want to support our partners in more categories with our Quality Lab and forecasting and procurement capabilities, while consistently providing unwavering customer service.”
In our daily lives, we don’t bear witness to the heart’s incredibly vital work, even as it carries us through each second of every day—but that constant, unceasing diligence is the single nucleus for something as remarkable as human life.
In a similar way, the many talented minds behind Sambrailo Packaging are the company’s true spirit. Through it all, they serve as the operation’s core, keeping a finger on the industry’s pulse while skillfully pushing it forward through over 100 years of innovation and expertise. 
