I became a member of my community garden only recently. My hands more often than not bear the brunt of hard work, of lingering soil in between the lines of my palm. An everlasting smell of lavender and dirt follows me when I leave my plot of earth—even the few scant hours I spend there have the ability to transform me utterly.
It’s here that I finally understand the care within our industry beyond the abstract. It’s an indomitable trait that fuels the expansion plans of operations like Mucci Farms. It’s boundless energy wrapped into something of the earth; and when it touches your hand, there’s no going back.
As I write this, it’s still hot enough to feel the pen warming in my hand. Perhaps this is simply the muse at work, pouring inspiration through the ink. Or perhaps the muse is the bumblebee that trips lazily through the air next to me. All good things, it says, are born from patience and love.
Mucci Farms easily conforms to those characteristics. A power player within the fresh produce industry, the greenhouse grower has seen strategic warehouse operations, program expansions, and innovative investments within the last few years alone.
“We are extremely enthusiastic about being a driving force in the advancement and expansion of the greenhouse industry,” Steve Zaccardi, Senior Director of Sales, shares with me. “Our growth has been centered on increasing our local and regional production to better serve our retail partners with greater efficiency so they can best serve consumers. Consumers across the globe prefer products and services produced close to home, so they can feel confident their buying decisions go toward strengthening their communities.”
Both of these new warehouses support Mucci Farms’ first Stateside project in Huron, Ohio, a 75-acre greenhouse and warehousing operation. Built in three 25-acre phases, the first phase has been exclusively harvesting tomatoes on-the-vine and servicing retailers. Phase 2’s construction is complete, with harvesting just around the corner in November. To increase Mucci Farms’ winter production, the entire project is equipped with grow lights, which allow for local production throughout the cold months.
This winter program, I come to learn, is made possible due to something called Lit Culture—a name I can’t help but instantly love. The aggressive and strategic investments in grow lights—hence the moniker—allow for an annual installation of new lights. Through this, Mucci Farms is able to work with retailers for year-round local promotions.
“We are extremely enthusiastic about being a driving force in the advancement and expansion of the greenhouse industry.”
Steve Zaccardi, Senior Director of Sales, Mucci Farms
“We have the largest Lit Culture acreage,” Steve divulges. “Soon, all our Canadian cucumbers, both Seedless and Mini, will be transferring to full-time lit production. We’ve expanded our Lit Culture program to include Canadian-grown snacking tomatoes, and we are trialing production for bell peppers—something that has never been done before.”
Over the last year, Mucci Farms has built upon this promise in San Antonio, Texas, and Romulus, Michigan. Expanding its warehouse distribution facilities in these two cities, the grower is furthering its strategic foothold across the United States.
“As with all of our new builds and expansions, both of these facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art automation and technology. They also serve as cross-docks to maximize efficiency. The Michigan warehouse will primarily service the Midwest and Northeast United States,” Gianni Mucci, the team’s Vice President of Operations, remarks. “This location will help us pack, repack, and distribute our full lineup to the region in a timely manner. It’s a great location for us as it allows us to avoid wait times at the border and quickly redirect product to several states.”
The Texas warehouse, which stands at 54,000 square feet in comparison to Michigan’s 66,300, is strategically located to service the industry during the winter months. As a central location within the U.S.’s southern states, this facility is amidst a labor market rich with experience.
“This warehouse is equipped with a unique feature in the loading docks,” Gianni expresses. “With hot temperatures in Texas, our dock allows trucks to back into the warehouse in a manner that doesn’t break the cold chain. The doors actually open up right inside our pre-cooled loading dock, so we are able to preserve product quality as there is no temperature fluctuation transferring product from the truck to the warehouse.”
Another first for Mucci Farms includes its award-winning program, Smuccies™ Sweet Strawberries, which has been in production since 2016. Producing in one of the largest indoor strawberry farms in North America, Steve tells me, has allowed for the success of this first-to-market program to be overwhelming. The original project was a 36-acre greenhouse/warehouse facility, which was built in three 12-acre phases over a three-year period. Demand made doubling that acreage a necessity, and construction on a single 36-acre phase is underway with a target completion date of 2021.
“Our greenhouse strawberry program has been extremely successful due to the flavor and quality that can only be delivered through local production and clean farming practices. Most cold climate regions in North America, particularly in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, get their strawberries from California and Florida. Having to account for thousands of travel miles, combined with the delicate nature of strawberries, has a big impact on quality and taste,” Steve says. “Being able to grow strawberries in Ontario allows us to harvest product at a later stage of ripeness, which improves the flavor. This is a result of dramatically reduced travel miles to get product to market. Since we grow indoors in a controlled environment, our strawberry program serves retailers 365 days out of the year.”
As an extension of its berry program, Mucci Farms is also trialing blackberries. Additionally, the team is looking to expand into offerings that aren’t traditionally grown in greenhouses, such as Zukies Mini Zucchinis—mini zucchinis that can be eaten raw—and different varieties of melons.
“With an emphasis on sustainability, we are also very excited about new packaging,” Steve notes. “We’ve introduced Paper Top Seal, which makes our existing sustainable pack entirely recyclable.”
“From five to 25 years, we don’t just say we have a dedicated team—there’s proof in the pudding.”
Gianni Mucci, Vice President of Operations, Mucci Farms
But like my humble home garden, expansion of this magnitude requires fortification, an infrastructure of worker bees that see the beginning of greatness through to the finale. Luckily for Mucci Farms, greatness comes in spades.
“Our team has grown to over 1,400 employees in Canada and the United States,” Gianni comments with pride. “Our employee appreciation event is an annual opportunity to reward and recognize hundreds of team members who cross milestones for years of service. From five to 25 years, we don’t just say we have a dedicated team—there’s proof in the pudding. That has proven to be critical to our success as years of service means years of experience. Retailers can count on us to be true experts.”
A story told in 2020 would be remiss in omitting COVID-19 and the enduring legacy it has etched into our industry. The new circumstances have, in many ways, forced our hands and made us adapt more quickly than we might have liked. Mucci Farms though, Gianni expresses, was ready to tackle the challenge.
“It certainly presented new challenges that 100 percent of businesses across the world had no reference for in terms of how to deal with it. Over the past several months, our team has done a fantastic job of working with local governments and public health officials to maximize our ability to mitigate the spread. We have spared no expense for resources that ensure the health and safety of our team and, throughout this situation, our team has pulled through and delivered for our customers,” he imparts.
The bright side of events like these can be difficult to see, especially in the thick of adaptation. But Mucci Farms, once again, has managed to see the forest for the trees—or the lettuce for the greens.
“Everyone being online has sped up the industry’s transition into a more digital-based environment, and as a result, we have focused on developing our digital strategy while also expanding our reach,” Ajit Saxena, Public Relations and Digital Marketing Manager, expresses. “We recently launched our ‘Spill the Greens’ podcast, which features various Team Mucci experts discussing a wide variety of relevant topics from how greenhouse farming works to issues like sustainability. The educational component of this effort seeks to give retail staff more information for their consumers, as well as consumers looking to learn more about greenhouse farming. With a lack of information in the public space regarding this method of growing, we hope it will assist in expanding the canvas for greenhouse-grown fruits and vegetables.”
It’s the connectivity between my own experiences and the powerhouse that is Mucci Farms which briefly overwhelms me. Each is a labor of love, and nothing the universe throws in our way can stop us from tending to the Earth.
The bee circles my workspace again, lands on the arm of my chair, and rests. Inspiration, you see, is hard work. 
