Sustainability With Agri

There are many reasons to use a local produce wholesaler, rather than a conglomerate. Freshness is a huge benefit, given that we source much of our produce from farms in the Tri-State area. But so is reducing our carbon footprint.

When we buy locally grown vegetables and fruit, and also deliver it locally, we cut way down on our carbon emissions. Of course, given the diversity of items required by our customers — businesses like chef-forward restaurants, catering companies, hotels, and gourmet groceries — we also source from other states when needed. But we try to limit as much of that as we can to seasonal crops that aren’t generally available in the Northeast.

Perhaps you know that agriculture is a sizable contributor to climate change. This is mostly a result of the overuse of fertilizers and the release of methane from cattle raised for dairy and meat. (We can definitely say that we don’t deal in livestock!) But whatever one is purveying, transporting it is one of the biggest obstacles to lowering the world’s carbon emissions. And so, we are proud of being a local business, with local customers and local sources as our foundation.

Some of our local farms include Norwich Meadows Farm in New York’s Chenango County, which is organic; Eckerton Hill Farm, aka the “Home of the Tomato People” in Berks County, Pennsylvania; Scapellato Farms in Vineland, New Jersey, which produces amazing herbs; D’Ottavio Farms, specializing in organic berries, and which began in Florida but now includes a farm in Vineland, NJ; and Koppert Cress, an international produce grower that partners with Flavour Fields in Riverhead, New York, known for their specialty items like microgreens, salts, and spices.

The relationships that we have nurtured throughout the ecosystem — from the farmers to our customers — demonstrate that there are good people doing good things around here. Next time you place an order with us, check out what we have from our local farms. And pass that goodness on to your customers.