J.J. Jardina celebrates 90 years in business; move into organic fruit paying major dividends
J.J. Jardina celebrates 90 years in business; move into organic fruit paying major dividends
FOREST PARK, GA —In1935, James Joseph Jardina Sr. started selling bananas in Gainesville, GA. He quickly found a receptive audience and moved his operation to the first Atlanta State Farmers Market on Central Avenue. Jardina soon expanded into apples, a move that set the tone for the next 40 years of the company.
A truck loads at the J.J. Jardina Co. on the Atlanta State Farmers Market. The company is celebrating its 90th year in business. (Photo by Chip Carter)“This is the third Atlanta Farmers Market we’ve been on, we’ve moved with each one,” said Chief Executive Officer Mike Jardina. “We started with one or two items, moved into apples real quickly and that was our staple for many years. We started diversifying in the ‘70s and ‘80s and have moved into a full line of fruit including organics now. My uncle, James Joseph Jardina Jr. started working with my grandfather after World War II. I came onboard fulltime in 1986, then my brother Mark, who passed away four years ago, then (brother) Larry, then (youngest brother) Matt and we hope to keep it in the family for many years to come with Matt’s and Larry’s kids.”
The move into organics has provided a nice boost for the Jardinas.
“About two years ago we started messing around with some organics, seeing what would sell, what we could help our customers with,” Jardina said. “We’ve narrowed it down, we figured out we don’t need to carry full line fruit. People rely on apples, grapes, strawberries, more seasonal type items rather than trying to keep everything in at the same time. Our customers dictated we needed to handle organics so we moved into it and it’s growing very rapidly for us.”
Jardina has also benefitted from a focus on locally grown fruit.
“Commissioner (of Agriculture) Gary Black and the Georgia Grown program have done a great job creating a big demand for locally grown products,” Jardina said. “We have some very good growers in Georgia that we are partnered with and demand just keeps on growing.”
Even well-developed markets like apples and stone fruit have new life these days.
“New varieties like ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Pink Lady’ are in real demand right now,” Jardina said, ‘but what we’re seeing huge demand for are plumcots — a plum and apricot cross. That seems to be what everybody wants these days.”
It’s all handled with the same care Jardina has brought to the job for 90 years.
“Food safety has been a major focus around here for several years,” Jardina said. “We got certified by Primus Labs three years ago and it’s evolved from there, we’re now USDA Organic Certified. Food safety is a huge priority around here.”
