Georgia groups promote state’s bounty – The Packer

The Georgia Grown program is working to educate Georgians about how much of the produce they consume originates in their state.

Introduced last year, the program works help retailers and restaurants source and identify Georgia produce.

JH Harvey Co. LLC, Nashville, Ga., was the first chain to join the program and Matthew Kulinski, deputy director of marketing for the Georgia Department of Agriculture in Atlanta, said more chains are joining.

“Most Georgians are aware of Georgia peaches and Vidalia onions,” Kulinski said.

“But they’re not aware of the blueberries that are now big, corn and even apples. They want to buy Georgia products. It’s the low-hanging fruit we’re trying to take care of first.

“They’re already buying Georgia blueberries and they want to buy them. It’s simply not identified as Georgia blueberries. They have no idea what they’re buying. We’re really informing the consumer that they can make better purchasing decisions.”

Peaches

The Peach State is planning some retail promotions to remind shoppers about the summer availability of one of Georgia’s signature crops.

The Byron-based Georgia Peach Council is focusing on brand promotion.

According to research, Georgia’s peaches rate highly with consumers.

The industry supports the brand by harvesting peaches of high enough quality to encourage shoppers to return to stores, said council president Duke Lane III, vice president of sales with Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, Ga.