New Jersey Department of Agriculture Visits Jersey Fresh Peach Distribution Center   

Stop at Gloucester County packing facility highlights National Peach Month

GLASSBORO – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn highlighted Jersey Fresh peaches and National Peach Month with a visit to Eastern Propak in Gloucester County. Secretary Wengryn along with state and local officials toured the fruit packing facility to emphasize that Jersey Fresh peaches are readily available.

“Eastern Propak is a significant player in the food supply system by providing high volumes of Jersey Fresh peaches to consumers while being an outlet for farmers to deliver their crop,” Secretary Wengryn said. “The state-of-the-art equipment here ensures this facility maintains the highest standards while supplying New Jersey-grown peaches to retailers and consumers along the East Coast and into Canada.”

New Jersey was the fourth-ranked state in peach production in 2023. According to the USDA, New Jersey farmers harvested 28.4 million pounds of peaches on 3,300 acres for a production value of $29 million last year.

Eastern Propak boasts a 160,000-square foot facility.  An expansion in 2018 added 70,000 square feet allowing the addition of a new blueberry line with top seal capability in addition to a high-speed peach packing line and custom grading and citrus repacking lines, all using the most up to date technology. The expansion also allows Eastern Propak and the Jersey Fruit Co-op to keep pace with market demands. The Jersey Fruit Co-op, which was established in 1940, supplies produce to Eastern Propak and is the largest shipper of peaches and nectarines in New Jersey. Eastern Propak packed approximately 15 million pounds of peaches in 2023.

“We are able to process large volumes of product in a short amount of time due to our state-of-the-art certified production facility,” Eastern Propak CEO Robert Kearney said. “The cutting edge technology we have with our equipment complements the excellent quality produce that is supplied to us by the Jersey Fruit Co-Op and others.”

The peach season for New Jersey lasts through the end of September. There are approximately 80 peach orchards in New Jersey with growers producing more than 100 different types of peaches. About 90 percent of those peaches are the yellow and white varieties.

Go to findjerseyfresh.com to see where Jersey Fresh peaches are available locally and to find recipes that include great tasting Jersey Fresh peaches.

To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA and @JerseyFreshNJDA.