As supplies of Connecticut’s summer produce wind down, sales of fall/winter offerings are picking up, and distributors look forward to another strong season.
JP Jarjura & Sons
Good growing conditions with not too much rain were just what growers needed to produce a good summer crop, says Bill Jarjura, owner of JP Jarjura & Sons Co., Waterbury, Conn. He expects an equally productive fall crop of apples.
“We had a big crop this year here, but the prices for the farmers weren’t the greatest,” he says.
That’s because, despite some strong prices early on due to cool weather, which caused a slow start, supplies picked up as the weather warmed and volume increased.
“It was a supply-and-demand situation,” Jarjura says.
Local tomatoes were finished for the season by early October, and items such as local squash, peppers and eggplant were dwindling down. Corn will be available through October, and local apples will be plentiful during October, November and December.
Quality is very good this season on all the apple varieties, including macoun, cortland, macintosh, gala, golden delicious and mutsu, he says. But volume might be down slightly compared to last year.
Prices on the company’s items should be relatively reasonable, Jarjura adds, because of ample supplies from various sources.
City Line Food Distributors
On the foodservice side, West Haven, Conn.-based City Line Food Distributors Inc. is slowly growing its business following last year’s acquisition of another company — Prime Source Foods, Londonderry, N.H. — says CEO Robert Berkowitz.
The company now serves foodservice customers with a wide range of produce and other items in up to eight Northeastern states from three warehouses.
“We carry a full line of every produce item,” Berkowitz says. City Line’s produce program is strongest in Connecticut, but with the latest acquisition, “we’re introducing more produce items every day to New Hampshire.”
The company now also offers some ProMark private label produce from Unipro, an Atlanta-based foodservice cooperative.
“Business has been solid, a little bit better than last year,” Berkowitz says.
City Line purchases locally grown items when they’re available but also sources regionally and nationally as well as from growing areas such as Canada, Mexico and Asia, he says.
Local cucumbers, peppers, cherries and grapes were winding down in October as apple offerings were picking up.
As Halloween approaches, the firm will offer local pumpkins as well as gourds, butternut squash and other items associated with that occasion. The company’s customers include restaurants, hotels, caterers, country clubs and schools.
Onofrio’s Fresh Cut
The fresh-cut business also seems to be thriving, at least for New Haven, Conn.-based Onofrio’s Fresh Cut Inc.
The 101-year-old company features more than 50 items with a wide selection of cut-up fruits and vegetables, says Richard Onofrio, owner and president.
Onofrio already anticipates a significant sales boost for Thanksgiving, when he’ll offer a tasty selection that includes several kinds of stuffings with ingredients like cranberries and raisins.
“We do very, very well for that holiday,” he says.
A veggie kabob is another popular offering from the company.
Fresh-cut fruit choices include pineapples, honeydew melons, cantaloupes, kiwifruit and watermelons.
“We do a huge job with watermelons — bulk, slices, bowls and cups,” he says.
Vegetable selections include red, green and yellow peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, green and yellow squash, celery and onions.
“Butternut squash, turnips and yams are really big for Thanksgiving,” Onofrio adds.
Onofrio’s grandfather, Angelo, started the business as a corner store. Twenty-six years ago, it closed and reopened as a fresh-cut supplier for several major chains and some smaller markets, primarily in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Onofrio says the business continues to grow with changing times.
“The new generation has mostly husbands and wives working, and they don’t have the time to cut up [produce] like they did years ago,” he says.
