The eighth Eastern Produce Council Leadership Class gained firsthand knowledge of production practices and logistics while touring farms and facilities in southern New Jersey and Philadelphia. The trip was held June 2, and began at the farm of Frank Donio Inc. in Hammonton, NJ.

Annie Pape, special projects and brand manager and fourth generation at Donio, welcomed the group and provided a brief history of the company. She also described the importance of the vertical integration aspects of the company from the grower all the way to the retail customer and the breadth of what the company handles. “New Jersey is one of the most diverse growing areas in the country where we are able to grow a wide variety of different products in a single area,” she said. Pape is an EPC Leadership Class alumna.

Led by Josh Minton, Donio sales and procurement and also an EPC Leadership Class alumnus, the group toured organic blueberry production as well as organic vegetable production and heard about the challenges of the spring weather. The class also was able to view several pre-cooling aspects in the warehouse, ripening rooms and logistics aspects of the operation.

“The Donio farm tour was valuable in helping us learn about crop cycles and how market and planning relate to growing,” said Stacy Conway, regional sales development manager for C.A. Ferolie in Montvale, New Jersey. “It was interesting to hear how the farm pivots when unexpected challenges happen so they can adapt and ensure customers still have blueberry supply.”

The class then traveled to Holt Logistics Corp. at the Port of Philadelphia, where they were joined by Derek Haines, Jared Stevens and Todd Brown of Holt. The group received an exclusive tour of port operations and viewed the unloading of a container ship. They also were able to visit the on-dock USDA inspection warehouse. “Containers can go directly from the ship to our inspection dock so cargo can typically be inspected and released within a day or so,” said Derek Haines, senior customer experience representative at Holt Logistics Corp. “Other ports struggle to match our speed and efficiency because their inspection warehouse is located off-site, requiring additional time and money to inspect cargo. When you’re working with perishables, that’s a major consideration.”

The field experiences presented the leadership class with a real life view of these crucial aspects of the supply chain from farm to truck, Susan McAleavey Sarlund, EPC executive director, explained. “These tours add so much to professional development because they offer another layer of industry understanding,” she said.

Participants selected for the 2026 program include: Alec Arena, Frank Donio Inc.; Stacy Conway, C.A. Ferolie; Timothy Dunn, Katzman Distribution; Judy Fierman, Fierman Produce Exchange Inc.; Michael Hearn, Four Seasons Produce; Ryan Kelly, Baldor Specialty Foods; Dylan Lang, Fowler Farms; Joycelyn Muise, F&S Fresh Foods; Veritza Ortiz, Four Seasons Produce; Paul Pascal, Sunny Valley International; Meetkumar Patel, Wakefern Food Corp.; Natasha Phan, Mastronardi Produce; Dante Savanello, JOH; Meghan Szymansky, Crispy Green; Scott Tepper, Fierman Produce Exchange Inc.; Jake Walters, John Vena Inc.; Ben Weir, Local Bounti; and Chris Zuhlke, ProducePackaging.com.

Also participating in the event to support the leadership class were: Noelle Neary of Wakefern Food Corp. and EPC leadership committee co-chair; Vic Savanello of Katzman Distribution, EPC leadership committee co-chair and past EPC president; and Al Murray, EPC board member and leadership committee member.