Local produce options should be made convenient for everyone – including America’s military personnel. In 2004 the Norfolk, Virginia-based Military Produce Group was established to provide fresh fruits, vegetables and plants to 95 commissaries east of the Mississippi and to select commissaries overseas.
Healthy eating programs
With the DeCA (Defense Commissary Agency) as its only customer, Military Produce Group dedicates all of its resources to serving military patrons and has specialized marketing programs to educate them on what’s available at their local commissary. MPG’s “Produce with a Promise” campaign promises low prices, premium quality and healthy solutions. Their “Eat Like a H.E.R.O (Healthy Eating Reduces Obesity)” program is geared towards kids and their local platform promotes locally grown produce. “That’s a program that’s pretty extensive for us right now with the popularity of the locally grown movement and sustainability,” said Heidi Raymond of The Military Produce Group. “Every month we check to see what’s available locally and then we market appropriately to those areas.”
Supporting local and shopper savings
The goal was, and is, to support local farm families and also provide the freshest possible produce to military men and women. “The commissary shopper seeks out great value,” said Raymond. “They make the trip to the commissary to save money but we wanted them to also see there’s a quality factor too; that you don’t have to go to a local farm market; you can shop right at the local commissary for premium quality produce.” Prices here are much lower than regular retail. “The prices that the commissaries provide to military families are amazing – they can’t be beat anywhere else. Our shoppers also understand that produce is freshest when purchased locally, so we wanted to take part in offering a local option.” A military family of four can save an average of $4,500 each year by shopping there.
In some locations farmers and growers are able to go into the commissary to meet their customers. “They’re able to talk about and sample their produce and there’s been great feedback from that,” Raymond said. “There’s a difference when they can actually look the farmer or the grower in the eye and make that personal connection. I think that adds that emotional piece that’s missing otherwise.”
Extended media coverage & marketing
Last year, Raymond spent time in some stores and also met patrons to provide additional education on their products. “Most shoppers didn’t realize that the commissaries carried local produce. They were thrilled to find out that local produce was being offered and that they had the opportunity to support the local movement in their areas.” MPG’s website features “Snacks for Little Soldiers” videos that feature recipe creation by local military children. “It’s a nice way for the families to get excited about healthy eating,” said Raymond. More media coverage is arranged through TV appearances on Portsmouth’s local Channel 10’s “The Hampton Roads Show” and also on Norfolk’s local Channel 3’s new show “The Coast” and features partnerships with growers including the New York Apple Association, which will appear with MPG to talk about apples recipes and healthy eating.
For more information:
Heidi Raymond
Military Produce
Ph: (757) 852-2700
hraymond@militaryproduce.com
www.militaryproduce.com





Announcements
Job Offers
- Export Sales Manager Europe Division
- Directors - New Zealand
- Nursery Production Manager Victoria Australia
- Technical Sales Consultant, Washington
- Export Sales Manager North America Exports
- Head Grower Hydroponic Greenhouse
- Account Manager – South-East Asia
- Vegetable Seed - EU Sales and Regional Manager
- Business Developer – High Tech Horticulture
- Operations Manager Organic Farm Barka Oman
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- Coating with a helicopter
- Consuming environmentally sustainable food one beer at a time
- Vapor Pressure Deficit calculator app for indoor cultivation and greenhouses
- Fury at polyhouses installed without planning permission near Stafford
- US: Hydroponic farm signs partnership to deliver fresh lettuce year-round
Top 5 -last week
Top 5 -last month
- "Honduras greenhouse park to become the largest producer-exporter in the Central American region"
- Netherlands: Codema Systems Group declared bankrupt
- Shanghai: Young people who can't get vegetables start to "help themselves" through hydroponic vegetables
- Canada: Dutch holding company acquires Ontario Plants Propagation
- Google meets agriculture at Go Green Agriculture
Military Produce Group
Fresh, local fruit & vegetables for America’s service men & women
Publication date:
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2022-05-20 Japan is looking to Morocco to help ensure its food security
- 2022-05-20 Soaring temperatures reflected in fruit and vegetable prices
- 2022-05-20 U.S. Dept of Labor recovers $225K in back wages for agri workers in California
- 2022-05-20 Will Artificial Intelligence and robotics usher in an era of sustainable precision agriculture?
- 2022-05-20 "Cauliflower season in Poland started without any delays"
- 2022-05-19 General Authority for Statistics: Prices of some goods up by 36%
- 2022-05-19 Soaring dollar rates affect Pakistan fruit and vegetable prices
- 2022-05-19 "At the end of the day, everyone has to pay a higher price for the gas”
- 2022-05-19 Climate change is already taking its toll on Spanish agriculture
- 2022-05-19 Berries become Mexico’s number one agri-food export product
- 2022-05-19 Significant increases in price for fruit this week; red cherries, seedless watermelons, Bartlett pears
- 2022-05-19 Viet Nam - U.S. Agricultural cooperation: reliability and mutual benefit
- 2022-05-19 Australian growers again see Queensland floods ruin crops
- 2022-05-18 Poland ranked third among EU countries, regarding strawberry production
- 2022-05-18 Malaysia: Modern farming popular with young agropreneurs
- 2022-05-18 Estonia: Tomato and cucumber production costs up
- 2022-05-18 Bangalore: Vegetables enter the 'Rs 100 club'
- 2022-05-18 Movement of Mexican asparagus crossing through Arizona, California and Texas expected to increase
- 2022-05-18 94.1% of the fruits and vegetables exported by Spain are transported by truck
- 2022-05-18 Australia: Union alliance and Woolworths partnership should support all workers