“We have always viewed developing a partnership with our growers and our retailers as just about the most important thing we do here,” said Tom Beaver, a partner at the company who joined Sunny Valley about six years ago. “We want that partnership to work in both directions so everyone benefits from it.”

Beaver explained the importance of working closely with growers, understanding their challenges and offering them as much support as possible. For retailers, he said, the key is to get them to look at officials at the company as trusted advisors who are eager to help them find the solution to any problem, stay ahead of the curve and help them build sales from their product lines.

Beaver said that Sunny Valley works with about 15 growers on the East Coast and a “sizeable number” of growers internationally. “That is a big plus for us,” he noted. “It allows us to move right from our domestic season that goes from May through July and August into our imported season and create a much-needed continuity of supply that everyone wants. This is truly a 12-month business and we have to be able to support our retail partners 52 weeks a year to be most successful for them and for us. If we can make consistent deliveries and get consistent quality from our growers we will continue to develop the right rapport with our consumers. That is how we drive sales.”

Beaver added that his team takes a strategic approach to working with retailers.

“Our job with our retail partners is to help them identify the right windows for targeted promotions and give them the specialty packaging to help them differentiate themselves from the competition and drive sales,” he said. “In that advisory role, we can make sure they are positioned correctly for promotions and can capitalize on changing purchase preferences by giving them access to different pack styles and sizes.”

Beaver is optimistic about the upcoming season, noting that he expects a strong eastern peach crop from farms in South Carolina where harvesting started in mid-May, followed by a very good blueberry program from New Jersey farms that will begin the harvest around June 10.

“It seems like this is going to be an excellent season for blueberries,” he said. “We had an extremely cooperative winter with consistent cold weather that gets us the dormancy the crop needs and a very good pollination process as we got closer to the season.”

He added that the New Jersey stone fruit program, which compliments the operation’s South Carolina program, will begin around July 1. That program will feature nectarines and yellow and white peaches. The company also produces citrus, grapes and some pit fruit, such as pears.

“Our programs in these two states and two different parts of the east coast help us extend the season as an east coast shipper,” he said. “We pick and pack longer and later than anyone else on the East Coast, from around May 15 to the middle of September and that is unique to Sunny Valley. Being in two locations also makes us a bit less susceptible to weather issues and that helps with supply continuity.”