Harrison Thorp 7:44 a.m.
Sunday, July 21, 2019 7:45 am
|
ROCHESTER - If you go into most grocery chains you can bet your produce is coming from California or Florida, or maybe even Mexico, but at Rochester's two Hannafords you can stock up on freshly picked tomatoes from Milton.
McKenzie's Farm, which grows about 80,000 pounds of tomatoes every year, wholesales about 20 percent of their tomato crop to Hannafords throughout the region, including stores in Rochester, Ossipee, Exeter and Dover.
 |
| A poster for McKenzie's Farm produce featuring owner Annie McKenzie hangs on the wall in the produce section at the Lilac Mall Hannaford. |
McKenzie's Farm, which is located on Northeast Pond Road, is owned by Jock and Annie McKenzie and their son, Brett.
The farm sells all manner of vegetables and fruits, but has some 19 greenhouses - about an acre - devoted to tomatoes.
Jock McKenzie said on Friday they are able to have this unique relationship with Hannaford, because they can wholesale tomatoes directly to individual stores directly from the farm, whereas many other chains would require the product to be delivered to their central warehouse.
McKenzie's began their relationship with Hannaford about 20 years ago. At first it was strawberries and apples, but now tomatoes are the only crop they wholesale.
"We sell out the strawberries and apples right here at the farm," McKenzie said.
McKenzie's uses no pesticide in producing their tomatoes, instead relying on predator insects they import from a firm in New York to control any pest issues.
He said they start growing the tomatoes on Feb. 1 and getting their first yield around Memorial Day. The farm staggers their planting throughout their greenhouses so that they have fresh tomatoes as late as mid-September. Their wholesaling with Hannaford usually runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
"People aren't eating as many salads after Labor Day," McKenzie said.