Nardelli creates relationships that build trust, growth
Nardelli creates relationships that build trust, growth
Bill Nardelli Sr. has been in the farming business for too long to not realize it takes a village to create a successful operation.
In fact, Nardelli, the president of Nardelli Lake View Farms for nearly two decades, is well aware that creating a successful operation means a lot more than just planting and delivering quality produce to retailers.
No, he said, it is also about cultivating long-term relationships with retailers and wholesalers, developing the right marketing tone and, yes, making sure that everyone, from the merchants to the consumer, is happy with every one of the 80 or so commodities produced at the 127-year-old Cedarville, NJ-based enterprise.
“I have always realized that it is about building strong relationships with the entire pipeline and showing everyone we deal with that we are honest, trustworthy and dependable,” said Nardelli. “In this business, everyone has to get a win to keep running their business successfully. So, we have to make sure that we supply them with quality, fresh produce not only when there is a glut of product, but also when product is tight. Our job is to be consistent. My father Jim always said that if we raise the crop the right way, offer quality, display it correctly and tell the retailers everything we are doing, the rest will take care of itself.”
The proof is in the pudding. Nardelli emphasizes that the company has a great network of retailers and wholesalers throughout the eastern half of the country that have worked with Nardelli’s for as long as 50 or 60 years.
“With the fall coming soon and kids going back to school and families returning from vacations, we will see moms cooking more and using more and more produce,” he added. “We are fortunate to have a network of retailers and wholesalers that do a fantastic job of moving our product. If you don’t have that kind of a network, you cannot connect your produce with the consumer.”
Nardelli said he expects to have a good fall crop, with the wet produce like lettuce, cabbage and parsley, starting to hit retailers by September 15 and dry produce available through the end of November. “Right now, we are getting a lot planted for the fall, coming off of a very good summer for many commodities like beans, corn, squash and eggplant,” he noted. “I would say that we have had good movement and decent pricing on just about all of the 80 commodities we offer. Of course, a lot always depends on the weather and whether Mother Nature cooperates, but, we really think that we are going to have a very good fall season.”
The future? “The key is to stay ahead of the curve,” said Nardelli. “We are always looking for new ideas and thoughts and a lot of that comes from information we gather from our retailers and wholesalers. We watch consumer trends and what they enjoy or want to try. We try to develop new products and seeds and always pay close attention to our marketing programs. Another key is that we do not go in and out of markets. We keep same base, but there are a lot of improvement in varieties, better production and shelf life.
“I think our company has an extremely bright future,” Nardelli continued. “My two sons, Bill Jr. and Jimmy, the fifth generation of the family to be involved in the business, work extremely well together and really enjoy the business. For me, as a dad, it is simply the best thing in the world, to watch my sons get along so well and see them start to make their own marks in this business.”
