Jersey Fresh celebrates 40 years at EPC barbecue

HILLSDALE, NJ — Jersey Fresh is celebrating a significant milestone in 2024, marking its 40th year promoting fruits and vegetables from the Garden State. On May 21, that achievement was at the center of the Eastern Produce Council’s annual Jersey Fresh barbecue held at Demarest Farms, here.

“Jersey Fresh is the most successful state marketing program in the country for produce, and this is the 14th year the EPC has celebrated it with a barbecue here at Demarest Farms,” Theresa Lowden of JOH, who is president of the EPC, said during opening remarks to attendees.

Ed Wengryn, who was appointed New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture in late March, was next on the dais and applauded the growers in the state, who work hard to live up to the reputation of Jersey Fresh product.

“We’re all about putting the best product on the shelf, and we appreciate the relationships with all of you and the support you give us,” said Wengryn, who is very familiar with the state’s produce industry due to his previous role with the New Jersey Farm Bureau. “You have our commitment to promote your products with advertising and marketing resources.”

Those in attendance also received brief updates on the peach, blueberry and vegetable crops, presented by Bonnie Lundblad of Sunny Valley International, Brandon Raso of Diamond Blueberry and Joel Viereck of the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey, respectively.

Lundblad said the New Jersey peach crop is looking exceptional this year, but she acknowledged that crops out of South Carolina, Georgia and California also will be in the market at the same time.

“We really appreciate the support we received from all of you in past years, and we hope that we can count on your continued support this year, too,” she said. “We’ll be able to provide you with the right size fruit and can meet your needs with pack options.”

“This is my first EPC meeting, and what a great first event it has been for me,” said Raso, who was speaking on behalf of the state’s blueberry growers.

“We experienced a mild winter with no freeze, so we’ll have an excellent crop and should have our first pallets ready to go by June 8," said Raso. "We very much appreciate the support we receive from you all.”

Finally, Viereck said that the Garden State will have another strong year with its vegetable crops, and said zucchini in particular was showing great promise so far. He acknowledged that there are a lot of options during the summer season, but made a pitch for New Jersey produce. “We would really appreciate if you continue seeking out local product this year.”

The EPC will hold its 49th annual golf outing on June 11 and then goes on hiatus for summer, resuming on Sept. 17 with the annual tailgate event held at MetLife Stadium sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission, Zespri and Oppenheimer.