“Customers that know varieties always ask for Dukes because they are known for their big size with full bloom,” said Tony Biondo, Trucco’s blueberry category manager and sales director. “New Jersey blueberries are a staple for us. Once New Jersey blueberry season starts that’s all everyone wants. It’s a must have for northeast retailers.”
He revealed that Trucco is expecting to begin blueberry shipments from New Jersey on June 9, with that sourcing origin being its primary shipping point for two to three months. “In New Jersey, we work with two of the largest farms in Hammonton,” he said. “They are great people to work with and have large volume when others don’t.”
Talking specifically about the 2025 New Jersey crop in late May, Biondo said it looks to be in excellent shape. “The berries on the bush, although still green, are already bigger than the sizing we had last year,” he said. “As long as Mother Nature cooperates, we will be in for a great season. Hopefully all this rain will be out of the way by the time we start the second week of June. There will be plenty of promotable volume through July.”
Trucco’s New Jersey blueberries are all shipped under the Jersey Fresh banner, which Biondo said is a great selling point. “Having the Jersey Fresh label on our clamshells is the only and most important thing that we need to do to promote the blueberries,” he said. “If the customers know the blueberries are from Jersey Fresh they will buy them.”
He added that Trucco’s New Jersey supplies will include both conventional and organic blueberries as the company continues to offer a consistent supply of both categories on a year-round basis. “Our organic blueberry program has been key for us all year,” Biondo said. “The consistency with our conventional and organic blueberries has helped us secure additional retail business that we were missing. We added another organic New Jersey farm last year with excellent quality.”
He noted that blueberries have become one of the most important commodities that Trucco offers to its customers. “I started our blueberry program 10-11 years ago in a small way. I was buying five to 10 pallets at a time from a few different marketers,” he said. “We found out very quickly there was huge demand for blueberries because of their health benefits and great taste.”
Over the years, the Trucco team has developed direct relationships with growers from all over the world, including in the United States, Canada, Chile and Peru, which has helped the company grow the blueberry category very quickly and even faster than expected. “We’ve done this with our steady supplies and excellent customer service,” Biondo said. “Since the day I started, 23 years ago, Trucco always has had a great reputation in the business and customers know we do our very best to come through for them. This is just the Trucco way.”
“Trucco blueberries have become a high-volume item that compliments well with the other commodities we handle,” Biondo said, “and we always have them year-round.”
He did add that the company is always looking to expand and set up new programs and accounts. For more information on Trucco’s blueberry program, contact Trucco Marketing Director Yasmin Pacia.
