Grant Stanton Produce Co. Inc., located at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, MA, continues to provide its customers with specialty, conventional and greenhouse-grown product, giving it a special niche in the industry.

“We handle greenhouse-grown English cucumbers and peppers,” said Shawn Grant, who owns and operates the company, which was started in 1996. “The majority of our greenhouse produce is from Ontario and Mexico, depending on the season.”

Grant Stanton Produce also handles a full line of mushrooms, all of which are sourced from Pennsylvania producers.

“Our apple program includes all apple varieties, and all are sourced from New England states,” Grant said Oct. 15. “We are very happy to see that growers are back in business this year following the huge crop loss they suffered last year. We have been extremely busy since September, and the apple push is continuing strongly in October.”

Robert (Spike) Crafts and Donnie Harnois handle sales on the floor at Grant Stanton Produce at the New England Produce Center.The company’s line also includes year-round supplies of berries. It sources from California and it follows production seasons up and down the East Coast. It is also strong in peaches from South Carolina and New Jersey. It also has a major lime program from Mexico.

“We handle a lot of local produce when it’s available,” said Grant. “It’s always an interesting time because product flow varies according to what is coming on in the local fields.

“Handling local produce is something that we’ve always done,” he continued. “New England farmers bring their products to us. And the products they bring in change continually depending on what they’re harvesting at any given time. We increase the amount of locally grown produce we handle every year.”

Grant Stanton’s customer base includes major chain and small retailers and foodservice operators. Grant said that the company strives to have product that fits everyone’s needs and at all times.

“We are currently in the eastern apple movement,” noted Grant. “Mushrooms are also moving strong.”

Because Grant Stanton is not a full-line vegetable house, the company does not source a lot of product from the East Coast seasonal movement, with the exception of berries and peaches, but instead focuses on greenhouse produce, mushrooms, apples and its other products.

“Business is pretty steady currently,” said Grant. “We had a highly successful summer and overall it’s been a good year so far. We are always happy and grateful when we can say that. Business has not slowed from the strong summer movement, and as we look toward the busy holiday season now upon us I think we’ll have smooth sailing moving into the future.”