New Jersey eggplant business makes most of local connections
New Jersey eggplant business makes most of local connections
The successful teaming of a New Jersey eggplant processor with a New Jersey eggplant farmer took an unexpected route through Chicago.
Last May at the annual FMI show in Chicago, New Jersey businessman Tom Hoversen approached Al Murray, director of the division of markets for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, with one simple question: Where could he locate a New Jersey farmer growing eggplant to supply his COMARCO Products Inc. of Camden with some of the 6.5 million pounds of eggplant it processes in a year?
"I thought, 'You've got to be kidding, " said Mr. Murray, who headed a contingent of New Jersey agricultural officials and businesspeople in the states FMI pavilion. I know where you can get all the eggplant you need, and its real close to where youre located.
Mr. Murray put the word out and Mr. Hoversen was quickly connected with growers in southern New Jersey, like Kevin Flaim of Flaim Farms in Vineland, a large producer of eggplant and other vegetables. The process that already had made the most of connections to other area businesses became complete with the introduction of Flaims eggplant and produce from other area farms.
This just shows how you can make these connections, Mr. Murray said. Here were two guys that were less than 50 miles apart, and they connected by us being in Chicago at FMI.
Now, from the farm to the table, the next prepared eggplant dish many people eat could have been grown, processed and packaged all in New Jersey.
Once COMARCO strips, batters and fries the eggplant, it is sent on to DOrazio Foods, another southern New Jersey company that specializes in pasta and Italian food processing, which serves the retail, foodservice and ingredient trades. There, it becomes prepared dishes of eggplant parmigiana.
Besides the eggplant business, COMARCO also processes other Jersey Fresh vegetables, like zucchini, yellow squash and green and red peppers, grilling and roasting the products to sell to other processors as an ingredient or to the foodservice market.
New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles M. Kuperus recently visited the COMARCO operation with Messrs. Murray and Flaim to get the inside story of how these elements came together to concoct a truly Jersey Fresh product.
This really is a success story of businesspeople making the most of their local connections, Mr. Kuperus said. Especially with todays rising fuel prices, it helps that these companies, all working together, can be within such close proximity to each other. The savings on transportation and shipping costs help to make them more viable as part of the food and agriculture complex.
Last May at the annual FMI show in Chicago, New Jersey businessman Tom Hoversen approached Al Murray, director of the division of markets for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, with one simple question: Where could he locate a New Jersey farmer growing eggplant to supply his COMARCO Products Inc. of Camden with some of the 6.5 million pounds of eggplant it processes in a year?
"I thought, 'You've got to be kidding, " said Mr. Murray, who headed a contingent of New Jersey agricultural officials and businesspeople in the states FMI pavilion. I know where you can get all the eggplant you need, and its real close to where youre located.
Mr. Murray put the word out and Mr. Hoversen was quickly connected with growers in southern New Jersey, like Kevin Flaim of Flaim Farms in Vineland, a large producer of eggplant and other vegetables. The process that already had made the most of connections to other area businesses became complete with the introduction of Flaims eggplant and produce from other area farms.
This just shows how you can make these connections, Mr. Murray said. Here were two guys that were less than 50 miles apart, and they connected by us being in Chicago at FMI.
Now, from the farm to the table, the next prepared eggplant dish many people eat could have been grown, processed and packaged all in New Jersey.
Once COMARCO strips, batters and fries the eggplant, it is sent on to DOrazio Foods, another southern New Jersey company that specializes in pasta and Italian food processing, which serves the retail, foodservice and ingredient trades. There, it becomes prepared dishes of eggplant parmigiana.
Besides the eggplant business, COMARCO also processes other Jersey Fresh vegetables, like zucchini, yellow squash and green and red peppers, grilling and roasting the products to sell to other processors as an ingredient or to the foodservice market.
New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles M. Kuperus recently visited the COMARCO operation with Messrs. Murray and Flaim to get the inside story of how these elements came together to concoct a truly Jersey Fresh product.
This really is a success story of businesspeople making the most of their local connections, Mr. Kuperus said. Especially with todays rising fuel prices, it helps that these companies, all working together, can be within such close proximity to each other. The savings on transportation and shipping costs help to make them more viable as part of the food and agriculture complex.
