Sonny Boy offering citrus program this fall
Sonny Boy offering citrus program this fall
Pictured are Bob Gordon of the Shore Medical Center, Bob Consalo
Jr. of Sonny Boy Produce, Kristine Negron, director of the Shore
Medical Center and Tom Consalo and Bob Consalo of Sonny Boy
Produce.
As a fourth-generation grower and shipper of fresh produce, Sonny Boy Produce boasts a global reach. Fall is a crucial season for the company, marking the approach of year’s end. During this time, Sonny Boy’s top local offerings include peaches, sweet potatoes, hard squash, lettuces, cooking greens and specialty items such as broccoli crowns, broccoli rabe and fennel.
“We are expecting a strong fall season with varietals like fennel, sweet potatoes, hard squash, and a notable increase in cooking greens,” said Tom Consalo, president of the Vineland, NJ-based company. “We have seen our volume more than double over the past few seasons during this timeframe with these items and we are thrilled to go into another fall season. Also, it kicks off an import season that is important to our business.”
Blueberries are especially important to Sonny Boy in the fall and that’s one category which has been on the rise.
“We are looking at a significant addition to our fall blueberries this year,” Consalo said. “We are working on filling the gaps between the domestic and Canadian crop and the import season with early import arrivals and bumping up volume through the season.”
The company continues to look to expand its fall offerings.
“We have a new citrus program for this season that is getting off the ground where we have been offering private labeling that has been exciting for us,” Consalo said. “Other than the new program, we have been more involved in giving back to the community. We have networked with our family outside of produce to supply fall pumpkins to local hospitals which was a fulfilling and fun cause to contribute to.”
Sonny Boy is also seeing a rise in locally-grown and organic categories and anticipates continued growth with these in the years ahead.
“New Jersey grown produce in the fall is super significant,” Consalo said. “Our family has been involved and has led the specialty fall varietal category for years. That story does resonate with buyers and is a good start to the fall and holiday season.”
Though there are challenges with labor and weather variability, Sonny Boy has the experience to adapt and ensure consistent supply and quality for fall produce.
“We find that remaining diversified in our product offerings here at home allows us to have help around the calendar with farm and warehouse personnel,” Consalo said. “We also make sure we keep an eye on the incoming weather to ensure timely harvest so that we aren’t caught off guard.”
The company also has a division known as Sonny Boy Trucking, which helps improve logistics and delivery efficiency during the fall.
“The trucking division has proven a helpful and profitable addition to our business,” Consalo said. “The more consistent our business becomes, the better we can plan and show value to our customers and consistent timely deliveries is something we strive for which this division has lent to in a big way.”
Another new area for the company is in private labeling, with Consalo noting it’s an initiative Sonny Boy is excited to expand on this season and beyond.
“Having that ability to do so and turn around quickly are capabilities that we are excited to offer and expand on in the future,” he said. “We always keep our finger on the pulse of new and upcoming trends for the fall season and all year. That said we see heirloom and exotic varieties having more of a renaissance and the more access we give our customers to those new trends, the better positioned we are moving ahead.”
