Mucci Farms is a vertically integrated company that owns and operates nearly 250 acres of tomato, pepper, cucumber, lettuce and strawberry greenhouses in Kingsville, ON and Huron, OH. 

The company also currently has several multi-phase construction projects in progress which will add more than 50 additional acres upon completion. 

“Our role working with greenhouses is two-fold as we have our own greenhouses while also marketing on behalf over 700 acres comprised of partner growers across North America,” said Steve Zaccardi, director of sales for the company.

“Internally, the role of the sales and marketing wing of the company is to establish strong partnerships and programs with retailers to ensure that there is always a home for the products we grow.”

Mucci Farms works collaboratively with its growers to consistently trial new seed varieties, invest in state-of-the-art harvesting and packing technology, as well as establish a strong research & development program for all aspects of greenhouse farming. 

“Externally, we have several partnerships with support growers across the continent,” Zaccardi said. “Our role with these partners is to ensure that we collectively meet quality standards and find daily destinations for the products they grow at the best possible price.”

Success at the company begins with having a big picture vision supported by daily consistency in supply, quality and efficiency. Joe Spano, vice president of sales and marketing, said it’s also important to be able to adjust on the fly and be nimble for common unforeseen circumstances in the perishable food industry. 

“As a vertically integrated company, being flexible is a competitive advantage as we are able to control every point of the supply chain,” Spano said. “We are also always on the lookout for new items that can be grown in greenhouses including some opportunities to expand our berry offerings.”

Over the past few years, Mucci Farms has seen a significant increase in the demand for healthy snacking items, which led the company to it newest item, CuteCumberTM Poppers, a one-bite snacking cucumber. 

Mucci Farms has consistently seen a year-over-year increase, made possible by a continuous effort to educate consumers on greenhouse growing practices, a young generation that is passionately driven to be aware of where their food comes from and how it’s grown, and the general public’s increasing demand for locally grown produce 365 days a year.   

Another strong season is expected in 2019. 

“Crops look great, and we are particularly pleased with the Ohio crops that are under lights where the overall health of the plants is excellent. The growing conditions are perfect and the plants are all in balance which helps us maintain our ambitious production goals,” Spano said. “We are consistently harvesting gorgeous tomatoes on-the-vine, and looking forward to the next two phases that will bring the acreage from 24-acres to 65-acres over the next couple of years.” 

The company continues to search the world to find the newest technologies at all ends of the supply chain that can help improve its efficiencies. They also use a variety of proprietary harvesting technology that helps automate much of the process. 

The latest buzz at Mucci Farms is the aggressive expansion of its grow light program which is in full swing. 

Over the last few years, Mucci Farms has invested heavily in High Pressure Sodium and LED grow lights which allow them to grow product throughout the winter months.   

“Nearly 100 of our 250 acres of greenhouses between Canada and the United States are equipped with supplemental lighting which is the most of any company in our industry,” Spano said.

“Over the next 1-2 years, we plan to install grow lights in 100 percent of our high-tech glass greenhouses.”