Connecticut Grown; Ives Farm Fresh

The following article was provided by the Cheshire Land Trust:

A woman at a farm stand in Cheshire selects a deep green zucchini for her family’s dinner. Two hundred miles to the north in Eastport, Maine a man counts out two dozen ears of sweet corn for a clam bake. Three hundred miles to the south near Baltimore, perfectly formed red and green peppers are carefully selected by a deli owner to use in the course of his day’s work. 

What do these people have in common? Their healthy food choices all came from the Cheshire Land Trust’s Ives Farm on Cheshire Street. 

How did they get to so many distant locations? Through Bozzuto’s, Inc. food distributors headquartered on Route 10 in Cheshire. And who grew it all? Joe Arisco, the new manager of the Ives Farm and his team from T&D Growers. 

“Local land, a local farmer and a local distributor is a unique combination which gives new meaning to the term locally grown,” 
said Sam Waldo, President of the Cheshire Land Trust.

“It has taken a lot of work to get to this point, but the farm has never looked better and been more productive," Waldo said. "One could say that not only is Cheshire the 'bedding plant capital' but we are also a significant vegetable exporter. Ives Farm is one of several successful farms in town that send fresh produce all over the region.” 

The Ives Farm was left to the land trust by Betty Ives in 2006. The farm was well known for its strawberries in the spring, sweet corn in the summer and pumpkins in the fall. Most of the produce was sold at a stand on the farm.

In 2010, Joe Arisco and his father Michael began helping out at the farm. In early 2011, T&D Growers signed a long-term agreement with the trust to use approximately 45 acres of the rich farmland. Corn, peppers, squash and eggplant make up most of the plantings.

A three-acre field of strawberries has been planted for use by “pick your own” patrons next spring. But perhaps Arisco’s biggest contribution has come from his relationship with Bozzuto’s, Inc., a food distributor that supplies over 800 stores in New England and the mid-Atlantic region. 

Their main warehouse is located on Route 10 about three miles from the Ives fields with another distribution center in North Haven. 

“When you talk about fresh and local, you can’t beat our distribution chain,” said Joe Russo, senior produce buyer for Bozzuto’s. “A squash or pepper can be picked in the field and on one of our trucks in a matter of hours. Sometimes the produce can be in one of our stores on the same day. It is a unique situation to have food grown so close to a major distribution point.” 

Bozzuto’s which was founded 65 years ago in Waterbury, is a major factor in Cheshire’s economic base. “They employ 1,300 people in Cheshire and are our largest taxpayer,” said Economic Development Coordinator Jerry Sitko. “It is great to see the symbiotic relationship between a local grower, the Cheshire Land Trust and a major local business. This is exactly the kind of cooperation we love to see.” 

While a significant portion of the farm’s produce is distributed by Bozzuto’s, Arisco also supplies other local vendors. And of course much of the produce is sold right on the farm at the farm stand on Cheshire Street which has seen a growing clientele over the last year. 

There is a steady stream of people coming for “Betty’s corn”, as customers still call it. “There is something in the soil here that makes this corn the best that you can buy,” beamed Arisco, as he watched the ears move from the stalks just a few yards away to his customers. “You can’t get it any fresher.” 

Betty Ives gave her land to the Land Trust hoping that it would continue to be used for farming. The Trust is trying to keep that hope alive. 

“The resurgence of interest in locally grown produce fits right in with the trust’s desire to keep the farm viable,” said Jim Mertz, chairman of the Trust’s Farm Committee.

“In order to maintain the farm we need to have it be productive and we need the support of the community. It appears that we have established a production and distribution chain that will be a win-win situation for everyone, especially the residents of Cheshire who will have a large piece of our agricultural history preserved.” 

Editor's note: This article appeared in the Cheshire Land Trust's September 2011 edition of their newsletter, "Balance Sheet." It was written by Ives Farm Committee member David Schrumm.