Seal the Seasons Expands Distribution Throughout the Northeast

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Locally-grown fruit from family farms is now available 365 days a year in 24 Whole Foods’ Northeast division stores in New Jersey, New York and Western Connecticut! Whole Foods recently began carrying Seal the Seasons’ New Jersey Blueberries and New York & New Jersey Berry Blend (New York Blackberries, New Jersey Strawberries and New Jersey Blueberries).

This is Seal the Seasons’ second region with Whole Foods Market, as they already sell product in the South region. The South, which includes stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, sells local North Carolina Blueberries, Strawberries, Berry Blend and South Carolina Peaches. The Northeast division carries Seal the Seasons’ New York and New Jersey product line.

Consumers wants LOCAL produce year-round, but they can currently only access it a few weeks a year when a crop is in season. By partnering with local farmers in New York and New Jersey and freezing their produce, Seal the Seasons makes LOCAL fruit available 365 days a year for its shoppers.

Family farms have been closing at an unprecedented rate over the past two decades. Since 2000, approximately 21 percent of small family farms have closed their doors. The season to sell fresh fruit is typically only a few weeks and, thus, there is a similarly short season for farmers to sell their fruit. Seal the Seasons is committed to growing market opportunities for local and regional American farms by freezing their fruit to be sold year-round.

“We are excited to launch LOCAL product in our second Whole Foods Market region,” said CEO Patrick Matter, the co-founder of Seal the Seasons. “Whole Foods’ South region has been a great partner in furthering our mission of making LOCAL frozen fruit available to consumers. We are thrilled to continue reaching for our goals by expanding to the Northeast region.”

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About Seal the Seasons

Seal the Seasons partners with local family-farms to freeze produce in season and bring it to grocery stores 365 days a year. Seal the Seasons sells fruit on a state-by-state and region-by-region basis. Seal the Seasons currently sells North Carolina and South Carolina product in the Mid-Atlantic (North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Tennessee) and New York and New Jersey product in the Northeast (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). With the upcoming crop season, Seal the Seasons will be expanding to sell LOCAL and REGIONALLY-grown fruit in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest.

Frozen fruit sold in the United States typically comes from all over the world. Frozen strawberries come from Turkey, Egypt, Serbia, Peru, Mexico and other countries. Frozen blueberries are from Chile, the Philippines, Ecuador, Canada and many other foreign countries. Seal the Seasons believes that we have wonderful fruit grown right here in the United States and should support our local and regional farmers.

Historically, distribution of frozen fruit in the United States has worked on a hub and spoke model with a company having one or two hubs in the country and very long spokes that distribute to the entire country. Seal the Season works on a system of local and regional micro-hubs and short spokes that distribute to a specific state or region. As a Certified B Corporation, it is committed to using business as a force for good in the world. Its mission is to build local supply chains to change the food system. For more information about Seal the Seasons, visit www.sealtheseasons.com.