Case Study: Nichols Farms achieves plant-wide FSQA digitization and faster audits with SafetyChain Software

How The Whole Plant Bought Into An FSQA Strategy

Nichols Farms is a fourth-generation, family-owned pistachio and almond grower committed to sustainable, non-GMO and organic production. Facing a doubling of product volume over three years to roughly 80 million pounds a year (about 12,000 lb/hr) without adding headcount to a four-person FSQA team, the plant struggled with paper-based HACCP/CCP tracking, time-consuming audits, slow customer-complaint investigations, and inconsistent operator practices.

They implemented SafetyChain digital forms beginning with critical control points (metal detection, x-ray, pasteurization) and scaled plantwide to over 20,000 records a month. The shift delivered real-time data, photo evidence, dynamic SOP-driven checks, faster root-cause analysis, and centralized audits—cutting audit prep from hours to minutes (one lot retrieval in 30 minutes), passing multiple audits (including SQF) while saving about $16,000 in labor—and enabled higher throughput, better quality control, and stronger plantwide food-safety culture without adding staff.

Nichols Farms

Jennifer Dunlap

Director of Food Safety and Sanitation