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Fall an important season for Marolda Farms

By
Keith Loria

Marolda Farms is owned and operated by Richard Marolda Sr. and his wife, Sherry, with their son, Richard Marolda Jr., serving as the production manager on its 350 acres.

The younger Marolda is also charged with the company’s organic program, shipped under the Rock & Roll Organics label by the entity known as Sweetvine. He has also been making some other changes at the company in recent years.

For instance, Marolda Jr. started propagating fig trees last spring and he’s planning on moving forward in the segment soon.

“I have an acre of trees planted out in the field, and we’re harvesting in an experimental way right now, trying to see how the season plans out since it’s our first time,” Marolda Jr. said. “The trees are new so they’re not really yielding in a way that I can be shipping, but they are giving me a lot of information in how it will look when we’re ready.”

He made the decision to experiment with figs in the last several years.

“It’s been something I have been noticing in the fresh market, and I thought it would be a really good opportunity for a fresh crop,” Marolda Jr. said.

He’s also become involved with passion fruit, with the first plants now growing.

“Again, I’m just trying to feel out the season,” he said. “I don’t have enough to go into wholesale production yet, but I’m learning a lot about the crop and how I will be able to sell it.”

Marolda Farms also grows about 100 acres of organic produce, and that will include the figs and passion fruit.

“That’s our largest sector of growth on the farm,” he said. “We always have to look forward with that program and always expanding acreage.”

Trying new things is important for the survival of any company, especially in the produce industry where things can turn on a dime.

“It’s been a challenge this year,” Marolda Jr. said. “The markets haven’t been so hot and volume has definitely been off.”

The good news is that the second half of the summer is looking strong so far, especially with the company’s hot chili peppers.

But, when things go south, Marolda Farms has the experience to survive and sometimes even thrive through the challenges.

“You just have to take stock in what happened and pull your boots up by the straps and figure out a plan to make the rest of the season better,” Marolda Jr. said. “I went to a couple of my main customers and talked about the fall deal and what we could try to make things better.”

Communication and honesty is an important part of keeping relationships strong, and it’s something leadership at the company has always been known for.

“Most of what we produce is going to the chain stores and the retail market, but we do service some of the juicing and chopping greens on the organic side, and we have some terminal market business,” Marolda Jr. said.

In August, the company deals mostly with soft tomatoes and hot chilies and jalapenos. Among the other crops grown at the farm are leeks, parsley, arugula, cilantro, dill, spinach, Swiss chard, watermelon and romaine lettuce.

“As predominantly wet veg and herb growers, fall is almost like a second spring,” Marolda Jr. said. “All the crops grow the best in those two seasons. It’s not as big as the spring, but it’s our second chance at all these crops we grow a lot of.”

Keith Loria

Keith Loria

About Keith Loria  |  email

A graduate of the University of Miami, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing for major publications for close to 20 years on topics as diverse as real estate, food and sports. He started his career with the Associated Press and has held high editorial positions at magazines aimed at healthcare, sports and technology. When not busy writing, he can be found enjoying time with his wife, Patricia, and two daughters, Jordan and Cassidy.

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