Eyeing the local movement, Nunes expands eastward
Eyeing the local movement, Nunes expands eastward
The Nunes Co. is merely dipping its toes into the local food movement this year, but it is taking a proactive approach and will grow, ship and sell some East Coast vegetables this summer.
"Is it a fad or is it a trend?" Tom Nunes Jr., president of the Salinas, CA-based company, which markets "Foxy" brand vegetables, asked about the local movement.
Mr. Nunes believes that the local food movement, which embodies sustainability and environmental responsibility, may be here to stay. He said that the idea of reducing food miles and a company's carbon footprint makes sense, and so he wants to see what Nunes can do along those lines.
Consequently, the company has contracted with a grower in Orange County, NY, to grow leafy greens for it this summer. "It is just a 16-week deal on about 60 acres, but there is the opportunity to expand in the future if this works out," Mr. Nunes said.
He explained that the company was considering the concept for a while when "we found a young man who does an excellent job growing leafy greens. We like the way he operates, so we struck this deal."
Prior to inking the deal with the Nunes Co., Tom Zangrillo, owner and partner of Scattered Acres Farm in Chester, NY, had his own family operation on the same ground his grandfather farmed more than 80 years ago.
"I started farming in the late 1980s after graduating from Cornell University," he said. "I am the third generation on this farm, as my grandfather started farming here in 1924. I am partners with my father, John, who is semi- retired but comes in every day. My mother, Marian, still runs the office."
Mr. Zangrillo said that he is excited about the association with The Nunes Co. "The Nunes reputation is excellent, and the power of the 'Foxy' brand is unquestionable. Working with them is a great opportunity; we are both family-farming operations and have similar philosophies. We are both conservative companies. By that, I mean we want to take it slow."
While Scattered Acres will greatly benefit from the association, Mr. Zangrillo made it clear that he ran a progressive operation prior to the involvement. "We sold our production ourselves, and we have a vacuum cooler and our farm was Primus-certified."
He indicated that he had a number of different opportunities to partner with West Coast firms. "The local movement is a very real movement," said Mr. Zangrillo. "The cost of diesel and the cost of freight have to be taken into consideration. And the concept of food miles is becoming more and more important. We have been visited by a number of different West Coast companies over the past year."
Mr. Nunes said that in conjunction with its New York partner, Nunes would be selling about four acres per week of locally grown fresh vegetables to the New York-New England market this summer. While four acres pale in comparison to Nunes' total acreage, the firm's president called it "significant volume."
The product will be packed under the "Foxy" label and will have verbiage identifying it as locally grown on the carton. The cartons of vegetables will feature the "Pride of New York" logo.
Mr. Zangrillo said that a range of vegetables would be grown, including Romaine, green leaf, red leaf and packaged Romaine hearts.
Matt Seeley, vice president of marketing and brand development for The Nunes Co., said that the firm would be the first in the business to offer Romaine hearts that are grown and packed as a value-added item from the East Coast.
"Very, very few companies grow and sell Romaine hearts from the East Coast," said Mr. Zangrillo. "There are many reasons, but I think the most important is that a Romaine heart program needs a powerful marketing push, and I don't think anyone on the East Coast is large enough to do that."
Mr. Nunes clearly identified this first season as a learning experience. The company expects its growing costs to be similar to those in California, but he said that there would be a lot to learn with regard to the different inputs involved in producing a crop and bringing it to market.
Just what will it take from an economic standpoint to produce a carton of "Foxy" vegetables in New York that have the same quality and food-safety standards as its California counterpart?
"We know we will save on transportation, but we are not sure of the yields we will get nor the labor costs," Mr. Nunes said. "[A reduction in] food miles will be the big plus."
The Nunes Co. does have some of its own people on the ground in New York consulting with Mr. Zangrillo on production issues.
The product will be sold from the company's sales desk in Salinas.
"Foxy" vegetables from New York should begin to be available by June 8, Mr. Zangrillo said in mid-May, adding, "I also have a baby leaf program aside from Nunes that we have begun shipping today" marketed under the "Scattered Acres" label. He said that Scattered Acres currently farms 140 acres and promised that "at least 60 acres" will be sold as "Foxy" fresh vegetables this summer.
"Is it a fad or is it a trend?" Tom Nunes Jr., president of the Salinas, CA-based company, which markets "Foxy" brand vegetables, asked about the local movement.
Mr. Nunes believes that the local food movement, which embodies sustainability and environmental responsibility, may be here to stay. He said that the idea of reducing food miles and a company's carbon footprint makes sense, and so he wants to see what Nunes can do along those lines.
Consequently, the company has contracted with a grower in Orange County, NY, to grow leafy greens for it this summer. "It is just a 16-week deal on about 60 acres, but there is the opportunity to expand in the future if this works out," Mr. Nunes said.
He explained that the company was considering the concept for a while when "we found a young man who does an excellent job growing leafy greens. We like the way he operates, so we struck this deal."
Prior to inking the deal with the Nunes Co., Tom Zangrillo, owner and partner of Scattered Acres Farm in Chester, NY, had his own family operation on the same ground his grandfather farmed more than 80 years ago.
"I started farming in the late 1980s after graduating from Cornell University," he said. "I am the third generation on this farm, as my grandfather started farming here in 1924. I am partners with my father, John, who is semi- retired but comes in every day. My mother, Marian, still runs the office."
Mr. Zangrillo said that he is excited about the association with The Nunes Co. "The Nunes reputation is excellent, and the power of the 'Foxy' brand is unquestionable. Working with them is a great opportunity; we are both family-farming operations and have similar philosophies. We are both conservative companies. By that, I mean we want to take it slow."
While Scattered Acres will greatly benefit from the association, Mr. Zangrillo made it clear that he ran a progressive operation prior to the involvement. "We sold our production ourselves, and we have a vacuum cooler and our farm was Primus-certified."
He indicated that he had a number of different opportunities to partner with West Coast firms. "The local movement is a very real movement," said Mr. Zangrillo. "The cost of diesel and the cost of freight have to be taken into consideration. And the concept of food miles is becoming more and more important. We have been visited by a number of different West Coast companies over the past year."
Mr. Nunes said that in conjunction with its New York partner, Nunes would be selling about four acres per week of locally grown fresh vegetables to the New York-New England market this summer. While four acres pale in comparison to Nunes' total acreage, the firm's president called it "significant volume."
The product will be packed under the "Foxy" label and will have verbiage identifying it as locally grown on the carton. The cartons of vegetables will feature the "Pride of New York" logo.
Mr. Zangrillo said that a range of vegetables would be grown, including Romaine, green leaf, red leaf and packaged Romaine hearts.
Matt Seeley, vice president of marketing and brand development for The Nunes Co., said that the firm would be the first in the business to offer Romaine hearts that are grown and packed as a value-added item from the East Coast.
"Very, very few companies grow and sell Romaine hearts from the East Coast," said Mr. Zangrillo. "There are many reasons, but I think the most important is that a Romaine heart program needs a powerful marketing push, and I don't think anyone on the East Coast is large enough to do that."
Mr. Nunes clearly identified this first season as a learning experience. The company expects its growing costs to be similar to those in California, but he said that there would be a lot to learn with regard to the different inputs involved in producing a crop and bringing it to market.
Just what will it take from an economic standpoint to produce a carton of "Foxy" vegetables in New York that have the same quality and food-safety standards as its California counterpart?
"We know we will save on transportation, but we are not sure of the yields we will get nor the labor costs," Mr. Nunes said. "[A reduction in] food miles will be the big plus."
The Nunes Co. does have some of its own people on the ground in New York consulting with Mr. Zangrillo on production issues.
The product will be sold from the company's sales desk in Salinas.
"Foxy" vegetables from New York should begin to be available by June 8, Mr. Zangrillo said in mid-May, adding, "I also have a baby leaf program aside from Nunes that we have begun shipping today" marketed under the "Scattered Acres" label. He said that Scattered Acres currently farms 140 acres and promised that "at least 60 acres" will be sold as "Foxy" fresh vegetables this summer.
