Howell ShopRite To Offer 'Grown In Monmouth' Products

HOWELL, NJ — If you love fresh produce and love to support local businesses, ShopRite in Howell will be offering flowers and vegetables that answer that desire.

The supermarket, one of the Saker ShopRite group, will begin carrying Locally grown flowers and vegetablesunder the new “Grown in Monmouth” brand, according to an announcement from the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders.

Louis Davino Greenhouses, Millstone Township, will introduce the Grown in Monmouth label with an assortment of seasonal and specialty flowers and vegetable plants at the ShopRite of Howell. Davino Greenhouses is supplying the new branded produce and plants to ShopRite stores owned by the Saker family in Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Mercer counties, the announcement said.

“We have worked to create the Grown in Monmouth brand that will enable our agricultural community to
clearly identify their products as locally grown,” Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone said. “Davino Greenhouses and Saker ShopRites are the first to take advantage of the new Grown in Monmouth brand and label."

Arnone said the hope is to add other growers as the program expands. As part of the Grown in Monmouth initiative, the county is providing an interactive web-based portal for growers and consumers at www.GrownInMonmouth.com, where people can search the Grown in Monmouth brand by product, activity or categories, such as Farmers Markets, Farm Stands, Garden Centers, Pick Your Own, etc. Growers can also register and catalog products and activities at the site.

"Grown in Monmouth is a program of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders that is designed to help retain and grow our county’s vibrant agricultural industry," the announcement said. The program aims to "promote consumer awareness and a preference for Monmouth County-grown products."

The Grown in Monmouth program kickoff at ShopRite of Howell, 4594 Route 9, Howell, begins at 10 a.m.

Photo provided by Monmouth County Board of Freeholders