David Julian, Produce Buyer, Talks Homegrown

David Julian is the Stauffers Produce Buyer. We sat down with him to learn more about our homegrown program and what it means to him.

Why is Stauffers passionate about Homegrown produce?

Stauffers values quality products and freshness that is why we want produce picked at the peaked of flavor from our local growers and delivered into our stores daily.

How did we choose to work with this specific group of growers?

We’ve formed deep and lasting partnerships for over 35 years with many local family owned farms, starting with the Shenk family who grow our famous peaches. All of our growers take pride in growing the best fruits and vegetables that Lancaster County has to offer from the mouthwatering peach to the sweetest ear of corn.

I am fortunate to be able to hand select from the best produce that is there and deliver it to our stores.

Why are you passionate about Homegrown?

I am proud of my interaction with our growers on a daily basis we discuss the progress of the crops, challenges they may face, or I’ll visit their farms, inspect the product. I enjoy being hands on with the grower. It reminds me of when I was a young man raising over 3,000 Washington Boro tomato plants with the guidance of my grandmother.

What makes Stauffers Homegrown program different from other stores?

Stauffers works with growers to meet our expectations that we’ve established and refined over the years. Not only do we have a well-established group of growers that we work directly with but we’re also heavily involved with our local Leola Produce Auction, which is made up of a network of over 1,000 local growers.