SWEDESBORO, NJ — Maugeri Farms was packing one of New Jersey’s signature spring vegetables, asparagus, when The Produce News visited this grower, wholesaler and distributor in early May.

The long, cold winter of 2013-14 was pushing back the starting dates of virtually all produce items grown in the Garden State and elsewhere in the eastern United States. Maugeri Farms was seeing that first hand.

“We started packing asparagus the last week in April,” Joe Maugeri told The Produce News May 5. That’s “at least a week later than normal.”

The late start was not affecting quality, however. As Maugeri put it, “Quality has been very good. I think the cooler weather makes the heads a little tighter.” The company packs all of its asparagus in 28-pound wooden boxes under the “Arrowhead” brand.

Maugeri Farms, headquartered here in the southern part of New Jersey, grows a variety of vegetables on about 600 acres in a few different areas, all within a radius of about 3.5 miles, according to Maugeri, who noted that the company has a long and interesting history.

In 1922, Salvatore (Sam) Maugeri came to the United States with his wife, Alfia, from Catania, Sicily, according to information on the company’s website. Others from their homeland had settled in the Swedesboro/Woolwich Township area.

They saved enough money to buy their own farm, and in 1928 they settled on a beautiful farm nestled on the banks of the Oldmans Creek, and Maugeri Farms was born.

Salvatore farmed successfully for many years, and eventually his son Joe took over the operation. With the help of his wife, Anna, Joe built the business, purchasing another farm on Oldmans Creek Road. The new location became the main center of farming operations. Other land was leased for additional production. Eventually, the next generation took over, the website notes.

Today, Maugeri Farms LLC is run by Joe Jr. and his brother Sam, who represent the third generation. They cultivate over 600 acres in and around the Oldmans Creek area. They sell their produce to wholesale distributors and markets, as well as supplying many of the roadside markets from Pennsylvania to the Jersey Shore to far northern New Jersey, according to the website.

There is, however, another important aspect to Maugeri Farms. In 2007, the company began selling produce directly to consumers via a small roadside stand. As Maugeri put it, “We started with a small cart at the end of the driveway.”

From that simple beginning, it grew and prospered, and in 2011 the company built a farm market, which today offers wines, cheeses, dairy products, salad dressings and many other selections in addition to New Jersey-grown produce items.

The farm market, which is open from May 1 through the end of October, is owned jointly by Joe and Sam Maugeri, and it is managed by Joe’s wife, Karen, and Sam’s wife, Joanne.