“We have had excellent support from customers, new and old, and we look forward to using the opportunities given to better serve our partners,” said Tom Consalo, president of the Landisville, NJ-based company. “This will be done almost immediately by expanding our infrastructure and aligning ourselves with our goals to continue to show value to those that we work with.”
Sonny Boy Produce sells primarily to retailers up and down the eastern seaboard, but also does business in the Midwest and Eastern Canada.
“Our customers are primarily retailers with some foodservice and wholesalers as well,” Consalo said. “Creating strong partnerships is maintaining trust and integrity throughout our whole process. We stick to our core competencies and are as fair as possible to all our partners regardless of the capacity. We treat those we work with the way we want to be treated from the field to the trucks all the way to the executive level.”
When fall comes around, Sonny Boy gets back into leafy greens and cooking greens.
“We’ll serve those fall orders with all the collards, kale, tops, mustard, beets and top them off with the local herbs like parsley, cilantro, dill, etc.,” Consalo said, adding Sonny Boy is looking to pilot some new things this fall with sampling some power greens bags and some new labeling for fruit items. “We’ll promote lettuce and make sure trucks are getting filled with hard squash and sweet potatoes as well. We like to offer specialty items like fennel and rappini to accompany the fall line.”
Autumn also is a time the company begins a new import program with clementines and blueberries coming in on containers instead of domestic/North American product.
“Although they aren’t local, they are still a staple for our company this time of year, offering a variety of items maximizes efficiencies and allows us to fill trucks and run at the most effective freight costs,” Consalo said.
Recently, the folks at Sonny Boy have seen a higher demand for hard squash in the business.
“That is a big change for us, and we hope to continue this trend,” Consalo said. “We hope to push similarly on local lettuce as well.”
The company also integrates organic produce into its fall offerings. Although it only makes up a small percentage, it has grown to between 5-15 percent of its overall fall business.
Also around Sonny Boy, new for this year, is a transportation division with Sonny Boy Trucking, which has been proven to help its efficiency and integrate offerings to all customers.
“We look forward to continuing growth for that and to being as efficient as possible in showing value to our customers and partners,” Consalo said.
Photo: Tom Consalo and his kids.
