By Elizabeth Wulfhorst
Grocery stores are essential businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. But even though stores remain open, shoppers have had to get creative to source the food they want and need. Store hours have been cut, lines to get into the shops can be long and, once in the store, customers often find empty shelves or depleted stock. Shopping online isn’t any easier. Delivery time slots book up quickly and, when orders are finally delivered, many items are missing.
Because it is perishable, getting fresh produce can pose a special challenge for shoppers.
“Wholesalers are still operating though restaurant sales have slowed down,” explained William Errickson, a county agent and assistant professor with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County in Freehold. “Some wholesalers are offering curbside pickup and delivery of boxes to retail customers.”
One local business that has stayed open thanks to this out-of-the-box thinking is Cuttler Produce in Eatontown, on the border of Tinton Falls. As a wholesale produce distributer to restaurants, grocery stores and markets, COO Ryan Cuttler explained how the company has been able to stay open after nearly 900 clients closed up shop.
Although the business had never sold directly to consumers, “we figured it would be a safe haven since we have plenty of products to offer,” said Cuttler. “We thought it would actually be something, you know, nice to do for the community. And it blew up to be so much more.”
Cuttler said it started with same-day pickup but “couldn’t keep up with the demand.” It is currently capping orders at 200 per day and is a week out for pickup.
While many of their trucks are idle, Cuttler is not delivering directly to retail customers, only providing curbside, contactless pickup at their facility on Hope Road.
Pivoting to retail customers has allowed the business to keep their employees on the payroll. Drivers and warehouse personnel hours were cut but the company didn’t have to lay off anyone, Cuttler said.
The 12,000-square-foot facility holds half a million dollars of inventory, according to Cuttler. “And we’re continually buying,” he said, replenishing stock seven days a week.
“We just kind of had to be a little more creative with the items we were buying, how much we’re buying and what items would last longer than others,” Cuttler added.
At Sickles Market in Little Silver, produce shelves are stocked and the store is open with adjusted hours and social distancing guidelines in effect. New to the market are curbside pickup and delivery.
“We have never done curbside pickup but we had always planned to do it eventually,” said Sasha Sickles, content and brand developer for Sickles Market. “We have offered personal shopping over the past few years. We had to work quickly to combine the two services, along with a delivery offering.”
Both are now available with approximately a 3 to 5-day turnaround time, which can change based on the amount of orders received each day, according to Sickles. To make shopping even simpler, the market has also bundled certain items together into produce and other “boxes” – like a Vitamin C Box or Salad Box – for easy ordering.
But while businesses like Cuttler Produce and Sickles Market keep the supply chain moving, shopping isn’t the only way to get fresh produce.
“We are noticing that there is a very strong interest in home gardening right now,” said Errickson, of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County. “Home gardeners are either starting new gardens or expanding their existing gardens.”
Producing food may be the main goal of establishing a garden, but there are additional benefits, said Errickson, including “exercise, mental well-being and learning opportunities for children who are home from school.”
While many stores may be low on food, “local garden centers and nurseries in New Jersey are stocked with seeds, plants, and supplies for home gardeners,” he said. Monmouth County recently expanded its Take Out in Monmouth initiative to include garden centers that are open and providing curbside pickup, delivery or other services for gardeners.
For those new to gardening, help is just a call away. Employees at garden centers can provide assistance and advice for novice gardeners and “home gardeners can always call their local Rutgers Cooperative Extension County Office for guidance on starting and maintaining their gardens,” said Errickson.
Sickles’ garden center is replete with vegetable plants, seeds and the tools needed to start a Victory Garden, the backyard gardens that arose during World War I and II to supplement rations and boost morale and are currently making a comeback.
“Starting a Victory Garden today would be a safe way to bring food into your home, but also a fun way to relax and enjoy the outdoors,” stated a recent post on the market’s blog. The garden center team is currently working and available to answer questions and help customers devise a garden plan for any space. Current offerings include broccoli, cucumbers, lettuces, several varieties of tomatoes, zucchini and much more, including many herbs to liven up any meal.
And the safety of its customers and employees is a top priority for the market, Sickles said.
“We had to adjust a business model that is decades old very quickly,” she said. “But all things considered, it has been very successful.”
“Our hearts are full with all of the support we have received. We are very grateful.”
The article originally appeared in the April 30 – May 6, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
