HAMMONTON, NJ — The 2013 New Jersey spring produce deal was underway and would be gaining strength when The Produce News visited Frank Donio Inc. in mid-May, but the company was also looking ahead to the Jersey blueberry deal, announcing that it had increased its blueberry acreage for the upcoming season by close to 15 percent.

Concerning the spring vegetable deal, Bob Donio told The Produce News May 16, “Everything is a lot later than last year. This year is normal to a week later” than normal. Noting that most items from New Jersey (and elsewhere in the east) in 2012 started earlier than in many decades due to an unusually warm winter and spring, Donio said, “You start to lose a little perspective since everything was early” last year and even a few years before then.

But for the current spring deal, “Everything looks good,” he stated.

Jimmy Palmieri, an inspector at Frank Donio Inc., and Bobby Donio with some New Jersey-grown red leaf and green leaf lettuce.That’s good news for retailers and other distributors in the Middle Atlantic states looking to handle high-quality produce from sources only a short distance away.

“We’re close to the major retailers on the East Coast,” said Donio. “We’ve talked about this before, but the freight advantage continues to help us enormously. Our location enables us to provide retailers with high-quality local product. Retailers are looking for local product — that’s really taken a foothold. I guess the buzzword is, we’re trying to lower our carbon footprint.”

With blueberries as the company’s number one crop in terms of volume, the firm — which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year — was looking ahead to a good season.

“The blueberry crop looks good,” Donio said. “Pollination on the blueberries is going very well. We are expecting a pretty steady [volume] for blueberries, which is better for everybody.”

Since last year, Frank Donio Inc. has increased its blueberry acreage “probably another 15 percent,” he said. That increase is coming from two factors. First, “We acquired some blueberry farms outright in Hammonton,” he said. Second, “We have one additional grower who will be supplying product and packing” under Donio’s well-known “Top Crop” label.

Internally, the company will be putting in “a whole new sales office” at its facility here in the southern part of the state. Donio said that the exact nature of the plans were still being finalized, but he expected construction to begin after New Jersey’s fall vegetable deal sometime this fall and be finished before the start of next year’s New Jersey spring vegetable deal.

Donio also said that Ron Pack, the company’s information technology director, has been writing an application to help the company track its blueberry program at the farm level. Pack, who joined the company in 2006, said that the new app would be ready by the time the blueberry season begins.

On the personnel front, Annie Pape started working full time at the family firm around Jan. 1. She had previously worked at the company during summer vacations during her high school and college years. She graduated this past December from Catholic University, where she majored in psychology.

She is the daughter of Judy Arena Pape, company secretary and one of the owners; the other owners are Bob Donio, vice president, and David Arena, president.

Annie Pape is currently doing some clerical work as well as setting up the company’s Facebook page.

“I’m kind of doing a little bit of everything,” said Pape, who celebrated her 23rd birthday one day before The Produce News visited here.