Consalo Family Farms expects big lettuce sales this fall

Fall is a season of abundance when it comes to Consalo Family Farms’ produce.

“New Jersey’s weather allows for rotated spring, summer and fall plantings,” said Chelsea Consalo, executive vice president for the Vineland, NJ-based company “Cooler temperatures are ideal for fall lettuce as well as most of our other product categories.”

Consalo Family Farms is a vertically integrated grower, packer, shipper, importer, and distributor and has been in the produce industry since 1927. The family-run company grows a full line of produce in the Garden State.

The company’s offerings include blueberries, wet vegetables, herbs, cooking greens, salad items, eggplant, peppers and squash. Consalo Family Farms has 52-week supply capabilities and also offers a full summer citrus program.

“Our diverse offering of products has allowed us to continue to be successful,” Consalo said. “Our family is quality-driven and customer-centric. In addition to that, our vertical integration allows us to monitor the quality of product at all stages.”

Lettuce takes center stage as one of the most popular items during Consalo Family Farms’ fall season.

“In 2022, we increased our acreage to keep up with demand on both spring and fall lettuce as well as organic vegetables,” Consalo said. “Demand has been continuous so far this year and I expect very similar production this season.”

With the calendar about to change to September, back-to-school is trending right now with items like mandarins showing an increase in popularity.

“Consalo Family Farms is unique in that along with our fall greens, we offer a variety of citrus packs to our retailers,” Consalo said. “We also operate on very quick turnaround times and can accommodate custom requests because of our location and vertical integration.”

This year, Consalo Family Farms has continued to partner with Spirit & Truth Ministries/Vineland Soup Kitchen for monthly barbecues and shower days. From April to November, Spirit & Truth invites a mobile shower unit to the kitchen to provide showers for guests. Haircuts are also offered and a barbecue-themed luncheon takes place.

“Consalo Family Farms provides seasonal produce [in its helpful efforts],” Consalo said. “In the past few months, we have provided corn, mandarins, melons, broccoli, tomatoes, oranges and cabbage, among other products. For September, we will be providing fresh kale and hard squash.”