Franklin Farms moves fresh mushroom production to Pennsylvania
Franklin Farms moves fresh mushroom production to Pennsylvania
Franklin Farms in North Franklin, CT, has entered into a contractual arrangement with Giorgio Fresh Co. whereby production and distribution of Franklin Farms fresh mushrooms will be moved to Giorgio Fresh, based in Reading, PA. Franklin Farms will focus its Connecticut operations on its branded all-natural vegetarian products, including "Portabella Veggiburgers," "Portabella Veggiballs," "Portabella Veggidogs" and specialty organic mushrooms. There will be no interruption of service to Franklin Farms' current fresh mushroom customers.
Franklin Farms' "Portabella Veggiburger" is one of the top-selling fresh veggie burgers in the United States, as is the company's "Original Veggiburger."
"Our vegetarian line has been growing consistently and expanding geographically toward nationwide distribution," Don Burke, vice president of sales and marketing for Franklin Farms Specialty Products, said in a release. "Franklin Farms has been the only fresh vegetarian line that has continued to grow in a category that has been down for three years."
Wilhelm Meya, president of Franklin Farms, will work with Giorgio Fresh to facilitate the transition of the fresh mushroom growing business to Giorgio's farms in Pennsylvania. He will also consult with Giorgio Fresh Co. to maintain customer relations and increase market penetration. Doug Stewart, Franklin Farms' director of fresh sales, will join Giorgio Fresh.
Giorgio Fresh is a fully integrated grower, and distributor of fresh mushrooms. "When we looked for a company to meet the needs of Franklin Farms' fresh mushroom customers, we searched for someone that met our high standards of quality. Franklin Farms is one of America's most dedicated suppliers of private-label products, and we felt that Giorgio Fresh could carry on the standards our customers have come to expect," Mr. Meya said in a release.
"We sought out this arrangement for our fresh mushroom production because escalating costs for energy, raw materials, transportation and fuel, plus the ever-increasing competition for quality labor meant that, in Connecticut, we could not continue to produce the quality products our customers had come to expect and keep the price competitive," said Mr. Meya. "This decision has not been easy. Franklin Farms has been a part of the eastern Connecticut community since 1978 and locally owned and operated since 1981. We have been producing high-quality agricultural products for distribution in the Northeast for over 25 years. During that time, we have established loyal customer and vendor relationships for our fresh mushrooms, vegetarian lines and specialty mushrooms. Maintaining those relationships for our continuing operations and assuring our customers that there will be no interruption of service are our two most important objectives at this time."
"We are pleased that Franklin Farms has chosen Giorgio Fresh to continue its tradition of providing high-quality fresh mushrooms to its customers," said Dave Carroll, president of Giorgio Fresh. "We want Franklin's customers to be confident that their products will meet the most exacting quality standards in the industry, and we pledge to continue the Giorgio family's tradition of excellence."
Giorgio Fresh has been growing mushrooms commercially since 1928. It is among the larger single-site mushroom growing operations in the United States. Millions of consumers buy the company's top-quality fresh mushrooms under the firm's national brands, "Giorgio" and "Pennsylvania Dutchman," and under private labels as well.
Franklin Farms' "Portabella Veggiburger" is one of the top-selling fresh veggie burgers in the United States, as is the company's "Original Veggiburger."
"Our vegetarian line has been growing consistently and expanding geographically toward nationwide distribution," Don Burke, vice president of sales and marketing for Franklin Farms Specialty Products, said in a release. "Franklin Farms has been the only fresh vegetarian line that has continued to grow in a category that has been down for three years."
Wilhelm Meya, president of Franklin Farms, will work with Giorgio Fresh to facilitate the transition of the fresh mushroom growing business to Giorgio's farms in Pennsylvania. He will also consult with Giorgio Fresh Co. to maintain customer relations and increase market penetration. Doug Stewart, Franklin Farms' director of fresh sales, will join Giorgio Fresh.
Giorgio Fresh is a fully integrated grower, and distributor of fresh mushrooms. "When we looked for a company to meet the needs of Franklin Farms' fresh mushroom customers, we searched for someone that met our high standards of quality. Franklin Farms is one of America's most dedicated suppliers of private-label products, and we felt that Giorgio Fresh could carry on the standards our customers have come to expect," Mr. Meya said in a release.
"We sought out this arrangement for our fresh mushroom production because escalating costs for energy, raw materials, transportation and fuel, plus the ever-increasing competition for quality labor meant that, in Connecticut, we could not continue to produce the quality products our customers had come to expect and keep the price competitive," said Mr. Meya. "This decision has not been easy. Franklin Farms has been a part of the eastern Connecticut community since 1978 and locally owned and operated since 1981. We have been producing high-quality agricultural products for distribution in the Northeast for over 25 years. During that time, we have established loyal customer and vendor relationships for our fresh mushrooms, vegetarian lines and specialty mushrooms. Maintaining those relationships for our continuing operations and assuring our customers that there will be no interruption of service are our two most important objectives at this time."
"We are pleased that Franklin Farms has chosen Giorgio Fresh to continue its tradition of providing high-quality fresh mushrooms to its customers," said Dave Carroll, president of Giorgio Fresh. "We want Franklin's customers to be confident that their products will meet the most exacting quality standards in the industry, and we pledge to continue the Giorgio family's tradition of excellence."
Giorgio Fresh has been growing mushrooms commercially since 1928. It is among the larger single-site mushroom growing operations in the United States. Millions of consumers buy the company's top-quality fresh mushrooms under the firm's national brands, "Giorgio" and "Pennsylvania Dutchman," and under private labels as well.
