Packaged salad pioneer Steve Taylor of Salinas dies at 67

SALINAS — Steve Taylor, a pioneer in the bagged salad industry and part of the Taylor family of Salinas Valley agriculture, died Sunday in Denver at the age of 67.

Mr. Taylor was born and raised in Salinas, where he attended Salinas High School until 1973 before continuing his education at UC Berkeley, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1978 and Harvard Business School where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree in 1985.

In 1987, Mr. Taylor joined Fresh Express where he led the creation and development of the packaged salad industry.

The company was established by Bruce Church Inc., a company founded by Bruce Church of Salinas. When Church died, his son-in-law Edward “Ted” Taylor took charge. Taylor created Red Coach Foods in 1978, selling packaged shredded lettuce and other raw produce to food-service businesses.

In 1981, Ted Taylor asked his son, Mr. Taylor, to head the effort to sell packaged salads to the retail market. But the materials needed for a successful longer shelf life did not exist. After two years, Mr. Taylor left for other pursuits including earning his Harvard degree. He returned to the family business in 1987, where he found significant progress had been made in the type of packaging needed for the company’s product. Red Coach was renamed Fresh Express and the company put its weight behind its consumer-packaged salad product and slowly gained momentum over the ensuing years. Between 1991 and 1994, Fresh Express increased revenues almost six-fold with the retail business leading the way.

Mr. Taylor would go on to become chairman and CEO of Fresh Express in 1993 after his father died in 1991. During his leadership, the company reached a settlement in its years-long conflict with the United Farm Workers of America, and in 1996 a new five-year contract was finally signed. After building the company up to $550 million in sales, it sold in 2001 for about $300 million. Mr. Taylor would stay on briefly as CEO before moving on.

In 2006, Mr. Taylor and partners from Fresh Express invested in a turnaround vegetable company and started Organic Girl organic salads.

Born Dec. 29, 1954, Mr. Taylor leaves behind Kate, his wife of 43 years, as well as their three children and their spouses. He was affectionately known as “Papi” to his nine grandchildren who were often referred to as his “rugrats,” and who he loved to race down ski slopes. Mr. Taylor was an avid San Francisco 49ers fan, a Cal Bears fan, as well as a UCLA Bruins fan where his three children all attended college. He listened to San Francisco Giants baseball games on the radio while spending time with his family in the backyard of the family home.