WESTHAMPTON, NY - Two major developments are in place for Hapco Farms. In order to strengthen its East Coast infrastructure, the company is constructing new facilities in Massachusetts and Florida.
“We have such a strong presence in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Montreal, and New Brunswick, and with these latest additions, it strengthens our stronghold on the Eastern Seaboard,” commented Eric Scannelli, Chief Operating Officer, Hapco Farms. “This allows us to continue to provide our customers with the freshest of quality while at the same time giving our customers the ability to cover shorts and allowing customers to be at zero inventory at the end of the day.”
The packing facility in Massachusetts is a new venture, a press release explained, between Hapco Farms and Valley Spud. These two companies have formed a new company called Barnwood Valley Farms. Effective immediately, it will be packing local potatoes in addition to working directly with up to 20 local farms in the valley to distribute its produce to Northeast retailers and wholesalers.
Along with vast acreage, Barnwood Valley Farms will have a full packing facility on site, as well as greenhouses used to grow seeds for transplants.
For more information regarding this venture, click here.
The second development is a new carrot and onion facility down in Florida, which will bring production of those two commodities closer to Hapco Farms’ customers.
“The demand for carrots has been on the rise, and part of our overall mission is to continue to expand our growing opportunities domestically, closer to our Northeast customers,” Scannelli added.
Hapco will also be growing and packing yellow and red onions at this location. The release added that this facility will pack 1, 2, 3, and 5 lb carrot bags in the Fresh from the Start label or private label.
“This new facility is being built primarily for these new crops, with state-of-the-art equipment specifically for these commodities,” commented Andrew Fagan, Director of Operations at ADS Management, parent company of Hapco Farms. “It will be a busy few months, but we are excited to add another packing facility for our customers.”
Scannelli concluded that these moves represent the first steps of many toward future expansion.
“The fact that we are investing in these areas shows we are committed to the economic well-being of these regions,” he noted. “We will be hiring local residents, which will benefit the local economies all while giving us the opportunity to better service our customers with the high-quality products that consumers have come to expect from Hapco Farms.”
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