James Bassetti of J&D Produce: Our family has always had a passion for growing fruits and vegetables we can give to our own children.
American Vegetable Grower® magazine is happy to announce that Edinburg, TX-based J&D Produce is the 2019 winner of our prestigious Grower Achievement Award.
J&D Produce’s leadership, owners Jimmy and Diane Bassetti and their son James, have embraced a simple concept that may reshape the vegetable industry: Taste and nutrition matter.
The Bassetti’s commitment to this principle pushes them to have their produce analyzed for nutritional content. It drove their desire to reshape a regional produce show, now named Viva Fresh. Viva Fresh is now a flavor and nutrition showcase for retail buyers. It attracts buyers from across North America, including Wegmans, Loblaws, Walmart, and many others. And its guiding their efforts to connect with consumers.
And it’s a big part of why they earned the Grower Achievement Award.
They feel that if their Little Bear Brand crops have enough flavor and pack enough nutrients, perhaps more families will gather around their tables.
“A big problem that we have in our society today is that we’re so fragmented as families, rushing around. Everybody’s busy working, and they don’t take the time to sit down together,” says Jimmy Bassetti.
The Bassetti family and several J&D Produce employees will receive the American Vegetable Grower Grower Achievement Award in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 2019, during the United Fresh Produce Association’s Washington Conference. United Fresh partners with American Vegetable Grower in selecting and celebrating the Grower Achievement Award winner.
American Vegetable Grower’s Grower Achievement Award honors a single operation each year from a list of industry-driven nominations. We select growing operations based on achievements and contributions in:
Each year, we bestowed the Grower Achievement Award on an operation that exemplifies the best of the national growing community.
More information on Jackson Farming Company and American Vegetable Grower’s Grower Achievement Award can be found in the September 2018 issue of American Vegetable Grower magazine.