Page 74 - Index

BLAST FROM THE PAST
Decas Farms Puts Stamp On Cranberries
Rakes, scoops and ngertips. Those were the only tools avail- able to the rst workers who harvest-
ed on their hands and knees — picking and plucking — in New England’s painstaking cranberry industry, until dry harvesting machines were invented in the 1950s.
When water harvesting — largely used in sauces, relishes and juices — came about in the 1960s, many companies jumped on board. A few opted to remain dry, including Decas Cranberry Products in Carver, MA, which still utilizes that gentler method to preserve fresh cranberries.
(Clockwise from top left) The Decas family in the 1970s at their Ware- ham, MA, wholesale company: John C. Decas, John A. Decas, Nick De- cas, Charles Decas, George Decas, Paul Decas, William Decas, Georgia Decas Chamberlain, Chris Decas, Dean Decas and Harry Decas.
in 1941 and Paradise Meadow in 1955, to A&P. Later, under presidents John N. Decas and John R. Decas, the company continued to expand and innovate — Decas was the rst to use helicopters to lift open crates of cranberries off the bogs; it is a steward on water usage and sustainability; and it has been a pioneer in organic cranberries.
These days, you can nd Decas prod- ucts nationwide and in big Northeast retailers such as Stop & Shop, Shaw’s, Market Basket, Price Chopper, Roche Brothers, Big Y and Hannaford. And, as you can imagine, they are especially
For 85 years, family-owned Decas has
provided customers with its best cranberries, both fresh and dried. It now boasts 450 acres of bogs in Massachusetts and a network of more than 100 independently owned farms in the U.S. and Canada. It handles an astounding 60 million pounds of the deliciously tart, ruby red fruit each year.
All of this grew from a group of brothers, who started with a pushcart and a vision. In 1934, Charles, William and Nicholas Decas invested in a 10-acre cranberry bog that was in foreclosure. From there, business grew, and they sold their rst fresh cran- berries that year. They packaged their rst branded cranberries for sale at retail in 1-lb. cellophane bags, marketed as Protection
popular at holiday time. All are featured under the Decas Farms label, part of a rebranding effort by current president and chief executive Michael McManama.
“Decas Farms allows us to convey the fact that we have heritage, we are local, we have high-quality, great-tasting products, we care about the land and environment and that we are a family company that cares deeply about its employees, growers and customers,” McManama says. “There is nothing like fall in New England, and I’m not referring to the Patriots. Cranberries have been a part of one of America’s greatest traditions and holidays. We’re not just growing cranberries. We’re helping to keep that tradition alive.” pb
Blast from the Past is a regular feature of Produce Business. We welcome submissions of your old photos, labels or ads. Please send your material to Chris Burt, Managing Editor, at cburt@phoenixmedianet.com.
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COMPANY PAGE # PHONE WEBSITE
Advance Customs Brokers ...... 35.... 786-476-0700 ......... advancecustomsbrokers.com Advance Customs Brokers ......56.... 786-476-0700......... advancecustomsbrokers.com Alpine Fresh ..........................56.... 800-292-8777............................ alpinefresh.com Altar Produce.........................56.... 760-357-6762 .......................... altarproduce.com American Consolidation& Logistics 57.... 305-769-2112 ............. americanconsolidated.com Anthony Vineyards Inc............65.... 661-858-8300...................anthonyvineyards.com Maurice A. Auerbach..............56.... 201-807-9292.................................auerpak.com Ayco Farms............................56.... 954-788-6800..............................aycofarms.com Bari Produce.......................... 41.... 559-560-5600 ............................ bariproducecom BelleHarvest Sales, Inc........... 27.... 800-452-7753 ...........................belleharvest.com Bloom Fresh .......................... 55.... 718-991-4700................. bloomfreshproduce.com Blue Book Services ................ 16.... 630-668-3500................... producebluebook.com Capital City Fruit ....................60.... 515-981-5111 ..........................capitalcityfruit.com CarbAmericas ........................ 57.... 954-786-0000......................... carbamericas.com Christopher Ranch .................65.... 408-847-1100 ....................christopherranch.com Concord Foods .......................28.... 508-580-1700 ......................... concordfoods.com Crystal Valley Foods ............... 57.... 305-591-6567................... crystalvalleyfoods.com Customized Brokers ............... 57.... 305-471-8989 .................. customizedbrokers.net Decas Cranberry Sales............26.... 508-295-0147 ...................... decascranberry.com Del Fresco ............................. 52.... 519-733-6101 ..........................delfrescopure.com Del Monte Fresh Produce........76.... 800-950-3683....................... freshdelmonte.com Des Moines Truck Brokers.......60.... 515-981-2156 ...................................... dmtb.com DiMare Fresh ......................... 52.... 209-862-2872 .......................... dimarefresh.com Dole Food Company, Inc. ..........2.... 800-356-3111 ........................................dole.com Eagle Eye Produce.................. 41.... 208-557-2528 ....................eagleeyeproduce.com Earth Fresh............................65.... 416-251-2271 ...................... earthfreshfoods.com Elma Farms............................ 21.... 305-777-0948 .....................................poshi.com Farm Direct Supply................. 57.... 561-910-4341 ..................... farmdirectsupply.com Farmer’sDaughterConsulting....50....916-234-3760.....farmersdaughterconsulting.com Fierman Produce Exchange ..... 21.... 718-893-1640 FloridaRestaurant&LodgingShow.42.... 203-840-5950... restaurantandlodgingshow.com Fresh Origins...........................7.... 760-736-4072 .............................brightfresh.com Georgia-Paci c ...................... 31.................................................... gppackaging.com Gourmet Trading Company .....56.... 310-216-7575 ........................ gourmettrading.net Gourmet’sFinest....................50....313-832-4640.......................gourmets nest.com Gurda Gardens, Ltd. ............... 45.... 800-475-4732 ........................ gurdagardens.com
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COMPANY PAGE # PHONE WEBSITE
Harris Consulting Solutions .... 47.... 269-903-7481 .................................................... Harvest Sensations................56.... 305-591-8173...................harvestsensations.com Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion ....46.... 888-466-4667 .............................usaonions.com Promotion Committee
Magic Sun Globalmex Int’l......52.... 715-764-3034....................... magicsunfarms.com Mann Packing..........................9.... 800-884-6266..................veggiesmadeeasy.com J. Marchini & Son / LeGrand....67.... 877-899-9077 .......................jmarchinifarms.com MIXTEC Group........................30.... 818-541-0124......................................mixtec.net Mother Earth .........................64.... 610-869-7211 ................. organicmushrooms.com Naturipe Farms ...................... 25.... 239-591-1164 ......................... naturipefarms.com NYProduceShow&Conference.....11.... 561-994-1118 .......................nyproduceshow.com Niagara Fresh Fruit Co. ........... 27.... 716-778-7631 ..................... niagarafreshfruit.com Nickey Gregory ...................... 37.... 404-366-7410 ........................ nickeygregory.com Nickey Gregory ......................62.... 404-366-7410 ........................ nickeygregory.com North Bay Produce ................. 27.... 231-946-1941 .....................northbayproduce.com Paci c Tomato Growers ..........52.... 941-722-0778.......................sunripecerti ed.com Peri & Sons Farms..................47.... 775-463-4444 ...........................periandsons.com The Perishable Specialist ....... 57.... 305-477-9906 .......... theperishablespecialist.com Phillips Mushroom Farms ....... 51.... 800-722-8818..........phillipsmushroomfarms.com Port of Savannah-Ga. Ports.....39.... 912-964-3996..................................gaports.com Pratt Industries......................30.... 856-404-1351........................ prattindustries.com Produce for Better Health ....... 75.... 302-235-2329 ........................ pbhfoundation.org producepackaging.com .......... 33.... 800-644-8729 .................producepackaging.com Progressive Produce .............. 57.... 323-890-8100................progressiveproduce.com Seven Seas / Tom Lange......... 57.... 217-786-3300............... tomlange.com/sevenseas Shuman Produce Inc. .............47.... 912-557-4477................................realsweet.com Southern Specialties.............. 57.... 954-784-6500 ................southernspecialties.com Square 1 Farms ......................56.... 561-614-2814.................................sq1farms.com SweeTango............................20....585-345-9453.............................sweetango.com Tambo Sur.............................56.... 954-943-1572................................tambosur.com Twin Lake Cranberry...............26.... 715-323-5159 ....................twinlakecranberry.com United Fresh Produce Association..6.... 202-303-3400............................. unitedfresh.org United Fresh Produce Association38.... 202-303-3400............................. unitedfresh.org The USA Bouquet ...................69.... 800-306-1071 .................................... usabq.com Volm Bag...............................32.... 800-253-4737 ......................volmcompanies.com Kurt Zuhlke & Association.......33.... 800-644-8729 .................producepackaging.com
AUGUST 2019