Why grade broccoli by code instead of by description?

Because words like premium, nice or good mean different things to a buyer and a seller, and neither one can inspect a load over the phone. A code is checkable: it is agreed on the order, printed on the carton, and visible to whoever opens the truck.

How many broccoli grades does The Best Company pack?

Nine — A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2 and C3 — distributed across four carton labels.

What happens if a lot does not make grade?

It stays in Mexico. Product that does not qualify for one of the four labels is sold into the domestic market rather than shipped to a United States buyer.

Where is the grade printed on the carton?

On the main panel of every TBC carton, in a boxed grid next to the word BROCCOLI, alongside the tagline The Right Product for the Right Price.

The A1–C3 Broccoli Grading System, Explained

Q: What does A1 broccoli mean?

A1 is the top-left code in The Best Company's nine-grade grid. The letter A is the quality band and the number 1 is the size and pack profile. The exact written spec for each code is issued by TBC on its grade sheet, and the code is printed on the carton so the receiver can verify it against the purchase order.

How to read it

A letter and a number.

The letter is the quality band

A, B or C. It answers the question a buyer is really asking: how good is this, relative to the best thing coming off the line this week. It is not a defect scale — every one of the nine codes is product TBC is willing to ship. Anything below C3 does not get a code at all; it stays in Mexico.

The number is the size and pack profile

1, 2 or 3. Two loads can be equally clean and still be wrong for each other — a processor cutting florets and a retailer merchandising crowns want different heads out of the same field. The number is what keeps those two buyers from fighting over the word “good.”

“Premium” is a word the seller chooses. “B2” is a fact the receiver can check on the box.

Why it's printed on the carton

Because a grading system that lives in a salesperson's head isn't a system, it's a memory. Putting the grid on the box means the person who opens the truck in Dallas can hold the load against the order without calling anybody. That's the whole point.

How to order by grade

Say the code, not the adjective. “Two loads of B2 crowns” beats “something decent.”
Ask what's actually running. Grade availability moves with the field. If the A band is thin this week, you'll be told.
Check the box on arrival. The code is on the carton. If it doesn't match the order, that's a phone call with evidence, not an argument.
Hold a tier, not a price. Four labels exist so you can stay in one band across a season instead of re-negotiating quality every load.

Common questions

Questions buyers ask

What does A1 broccoli mean?

A1 is the top-left code in the nine-grade grid — quality band A, size profile 1. The exact written spec is issued on TBC's grade sheet and the code is printed on the carton, so the receiver can verify it against the purchase order without taking anyone's word for it.

How many grades and labels are there?

Nine grades — A1 through C3 — packed across four carton labels.

What happens to product that doesn't make grade?

It stays in Mexico and is sold into the domestic market. It is not shipped north to a US buyer who ordered something better.

How is it packed and held?

Crowns are packed 20 lb and florets are packed bulk. Cartons are held and moved refrigerated at 34°F, which is printed on the box.

Where does it cross?

At Pharr, Texas, into the facility at 601 W Anaya Rd — one of the busiest produce crossings on the southern border.

The A1–C3 grading system, explained.