Grand old stadium serves as setting for NEPC season finale
Grand old stadium serves as setting for NEPC season finale
BOSTON -- The New England Produce Council hit a home run with its final dinner meeting of the season, held May 9, here, at the home of the city's beloved Red Sox. The event was sponsored by Sunny Valley International, based in Glassboro, NJ.
About 100 industry participants joined in a dinner at Fenway Park's EMC Club, a very comfortable dining suite overlooking Major League Baseball's oldest stadium, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. An hour-long tour of the stadium, filled with legends of the green baseball venue preceded the dinner. If one wasn't a Red Sox fan going into the evening, it was a little hard not to pull for them afterward.
After the tour, NEPC President Bob McGowan greeted the crowd, and brief presentations on the upcoming marketing season were offered by Sunny Valley's Bonnie Lundblad and Bob Von Rohr.
Mr. Von Rohr said that Sunny Valley is the largest shipper of eastern peaches. "Unfortunately, a freeze during Easter has affected all the peach growers in South Carolina and Georgia," he said. "We had anticipated 450,000 cases of our 'Cotton Hope' label from South Carolina for this season, but our volume projection has been reduced to 45,000 cases."
He said that Sunny Valley ships about 75 percent of New Jersey's peaches. Growing conditions for New Jersey peaches and nectarines were good this winter and spring, and "early indications are for a full crop of approximately 1 million cases of our excellent-quality fruit, starting around the first of July and running through the end of September."
He said that Sunny Valley is one of four major New Jersey blueberry shippers. The firm plans to ship 800,000 cases of Blue Crop and Duke varieties this season, as well as 30,000 cases of "Little Buck" certified-organic blueberries. "All of our berries are graded according to Jersey Fruit standards, which are more stringent than USDA standards," Mr. Von Rohr said.
Blueberry harvest in New Jersey will begin about June 20-25.
In New Jersey, both labor and pollinating bee supplies are positive this season, he added.
Mr. Von Rohr also announced a new partnership for Sunny Valley this season with one of New Jersey's top vegetable growers.
"Sunny Valley is proud and excited to announce a strategic alliance with Eastern Fresh Growers to market New Jersey bell peppers and cucumbers this summer," Mr. Von Rohr said. "The 'Eastern Fresh Growers' label is New Jersey's top label, offering steady supplies of truckload quantities of high- quality product. They have just started their plantings this week of the first round of cukes and peppers."
Cucumber harvest in New Jersey this summer will run from mid-June to late September. Green peppers will start in early July and will be available until October, he said.
About 100 industry participants joined in a dinner at Fenway Park's EMC Club, a very comfortable dining suite overlooking Major League Baseball's oldest stadium, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. An hour-long tour of the stadium, filled with legends of the green baseball venue preceded the dinner. If one wasn't a Red Sox fan going into the evening, it was a little hard not to pull for them afterward.
After the tour, NEPC President Bob McGowan greeted the crowd, and brief presentations on the upcoming marketing season were offered by Sunny Valley's Bonnie Lundblad and Bob Von Rohr.
Mr. Von Rohr said that Sunny Valley is the largest shipper of eastern peaches. "Unfortunately, a freeze during Easter has affected all the peach growers in South Carolina and Georgia," he said. "We had anticipated 450,000 cases of our 'Cotton Hope' label from South Carolina for this season, but our volume projection has been reduced to 45,000 cases."
He said that Sunny Valley ships about 75 percent of New Jersey's peaches. Growing conditions for New Jersey peaches and nectarines were good this winter and spring, and "early indications are for a full crop of approximately 1 million cases of our excellent-quality fruit, starting around the first of July and running through the end of September."
He said that Sunny Valley is one of four major New Jersey blueberry shippers. The firm plans to ship 800,000 cases of Blue Crop and Duke varieties this season, as well as 30,000 cases of "Little Buck" certified-organic blueberries. "All of our berries are graded according to Jersey Fruit standards, which are more stringent than USDA standards," Mr. Von Rohr said.
Blueberry harvest in New Jersey will begin about June 20-25.
In New Jersey, both labor and pollinating bee supplies are positive this season, he added.
Mr. Von Rohr also announced a new partnership for Sunny Valley this season with one of New Jersey's top vegetable growers.
"Sunny Valley is proud and excited to announce a strategic alliance with Eastern Fresh Growers to market New Jersey bell peppers and cucumbers this summer," Mr. Von Rohr said. "The 'Eastern Fresh Growers' label is New Jersey's top label, offering steady supplies of truckload quantities of high- quality product. They have just started their plantings this week of the first round of cukes and peppers."
Cucumber harvest in New Jersey this summer will run from mid-June to late September. Green peppers will start in early July and will be available until October, he said.
