Partners

Buster Petronglo & Son Farms, LLC

The Petronglo Family has been vegetable farming in the North Vineland area for
over 100 years. Generation after Generation of Petronglos have successfully
farmed some of the same ground that Giuseppe Petronglo began farming in the
early 1900’s.

Circle M Farm

In 1910, Santo and Sara Maccherone came to America from Italy with the dream of one day owning a farm. After saving up, they purchased a farm in 1942.
Today, Santo John Maccherone (third generation) and his son John Maccherone (fourth generation) continue their family tradition of farming. The family shares a hard work ethic and hands-on approach to farming. Santo runs the packing shed; John works alongside the harvesting and picking teams to ensure that they’re producing the freshest peaches possible. Circle M Farms grows peaches, nectarines, and plums. John works closely with the Rutgers agriculture and is working on a test crop of cherries.

Dan Graiff Farms

Dan Graiff Farms is a fourth generation family-owned and operated farm. They take pride in providing the food industry with the highest quality products. All aspects of their business are closely super-vised by family members so that we can ensure the highest quality stan-dards, from production to finished product. Dan Graiff manages the grow-ing and production side, while Jamie is involved in sales and purchasing. Our Food Safety Program is run by Dan’s son Scott (a 5th generation farmer) and Doris (Mom) manages the office.

The Graiffs farm 250 acres in southern New Jersey. They also work closely with other family farms in Florida, California, and Canada to a provide year-round supply. All growers pride themselves on quality and safety, with GMP, GAP, and food safety programs in place.

Graiff’s products are washed, peeled and packed daily in their newly reno-vated facility, under the Five Star Premium Greens and Herbs label. They are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to ensure the safest and highest quality products, which they guarantee 100%. They take pride in being good stewards of the land, using IPM programs and crop rotations to ensure sustainability, as well using 100% recyclable packaging.

Eastern Fresh

In 1683, four Sheppard brothers moved to southern New Jersey and began their own vegetable farm. Since then, farming has been a family tradition for many generations of Sheppards. They began farming in their current location on Sayres Neck Road in 1888.

Today, Sheppard Farms is operated by Erwin and Tom, both Cornell University graduates. They farm 1500+ acres, and in peak season employ up to 240 workers. The Sheppards have always taken pride in their finished product and look for ways to continue improvement. In 2010 they began construction on an upgraded packinghouse. In 2015 they upgraded their asparagus packing machinery, which they will expand upon again in 2016.

Eastern Fresh Growers is the sales company for Sheppard Farms, Jersey Legacy Farms, and other farms in the area on a per commodity basis.

Fifer Orchards

It all began in 1929 when Charles Frederick Fifer moved his family from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to the fertile lands of Kent County, Delaware pursuing his passion to grow high-quality fruits and vegetables. The moderate climate and hearty, well-draining soil of this agriculturally rich region provided ideal conditions for growing a diverse mix of fruits and vegetables, including: peaches, apples, tomatoes, sweet corn, asparagus, and more. Charles began with 300 acres of land and belief in crop diversification, farmland stewardship, and growing high-quality produce. He understood that farming is inherently a gamble and that having all of your eggs in one basket can lead to disaster. His vision was accurate and this philosophy is what has enabled the farm to weather storms and challenges over the past 95+ years.

Today, Fifer Orchards continues the legacy of Charles Frederick Fifer and his vision. Fourth-generation Fifers continue to grow a diverse mix of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables.

Frecon Farms

For 65+ years the Frecon family farm has been a labor of love, focused on providing Boyertown, PA and the surrounding area with fresh fruit to enjoy with the ones they love.

Richard S. Frecon came to the United States and worked a serious of jobs before landing a produce in-spections job in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 1944 he settled in Bucks County and purchased Boyertown Fruit Farms in the Apple Basket of the East. Richard established Frecon Orchards focusing on apple and peach production, revolutionizing packing procedures and growing practices. He and his wife Martha raised 6 children, all of whom have worked for the family business throughout the years. Richard’s mother Mary started a small roadside stand in 1951 selling directly to travelers and passersby. Over the years, this small roadside stand grew into one of eastern Pennsylvania’s first full service retail farm markets.

In 2005 Hank and Steve Frecon and their long-time friend Chris Adukaitis launched their website and Frecon’s Pick Your Own; attracting visitors from all over the tri-state area. They bought Frecon Orchards Outlet and changed the name to Frecon Farms. Today, they continue to pursue retail opportunity and have grown the PYO business with a series of events throughout the year.

Martin’s Quality Eggs

Martin’s Quality Eggs was founded in 1963 by Lester Martin and his father Ellis. They started out selling eggs from local farms in Lancaster County, and they continue to sell quality farm fresh eggs. With a good quality business foundation, the business has grown to include the 3rd and 4th generations. Martin’s recently moved to a new facility, where they operate their state of the art equipment to wash and grade the farm fresh eggs. The family business is well known for their dependable service and competitive prices. Their customers have come to depend on the fresh eggs with grade “AA” diner quality for the best breakfasts. To keep in step and extend their markets, they offer a full line of egg products and a partial line of dairy products. The egg products come as pasteurized liquid or frozen eggs, and ready-to-serve hard cooked eggs.

MJB Mushrooms

Located in the heart of Mushroom Country— Chester County, Pennsylvania, MJB is a family-owned marketer and packer of fresh quality mushrooms. They represent neighboring mushrooms growers.

WAC Mushrooms is MJB’s white mushroom supplier. Billy Catana was immersed in the mushroom business from a young age, with his grandfather and father. In 1988, he started his own business, WAC Mushrooms. Billy is a smaller grower; he employees 40 workers who carefully hand select each mushroom; WAC moves about 85,ooo cases per week. Tom Masha supplies MJB with crimini and portabella mushrooms. MJB’s primary source for maiitake, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms is a larger grower, Kennett Square Specialties in Kennett Square, PA. The town is dubbed the Mushroom Capital of the World.

Muzzarelli Farms

The original family owned business was started by Charles and Theresa in 1937. Delmo Muzzarelli, was one of Charles and Theresa’s five children raised on the 20-acre vegetable farm. Delmo eventually took over the operation, focusing primarily on sweet potatoes and pickles. In 1980, Delmo’s son, Charlie, and his wife Rita took over the family business as owner and operator of Muzzarelli Farms. Since that time, the farm has increased to over 300-acres. Though Charlie continues to grow sweet potatoes and pickles as his grandfather did, he is quick to say that he does not take “special pride” in these two drops, “I take pride in all my crops.” The farm now raises over two dozen varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Today, Charlie and Rita are blessed to have two children, Charlie Jr. and Dena to carry on the tradition. Under the fourth generation Muzzarellis and their spouses, the family farm has continued to expand and flourish. Charlie and Rita are excited to see what their children and grandchildren will continue to accomplish on the farm that their great grandparents started many years ago.

Ploch Farms

The history of the Ploch family farm can be traced back to the 1800s when Ryan’s great grandfather moved from Germany to northern New Jersey and started a dairy farm. In 1916, they converted to growing vegetables. With a large family, the Plochs sold the 9-acre farm to divide it up between everyone. Ryan’s father and uncle moved to Vineland in 1973 and bought the land they’re farming today.

Today, Ploch Farms is a cornerstone of the wholesale market in the region. John and his son Ryan farm about 250 acres with a focus on quality. They grow a wide variety of vegetables but are best known for their herbs and leafy greens.

QIHE MUSHROOM