Who isn’t a sucker for love stories?!! At Bishop’s we don’t prohibit dating amongst co-workers because we are a family run business. You never know when cupid might strike you! Yes, it maybe just be a bee sting in the orchard, but sometimes employees find love in the simplest of environments! Let us tell you about a love story from back in the day at Bishop’s Orchards. It all started in 1984…

As a young college student, he was doing what most kids his age were doing that summer, looking for a summer job! Between his kind heart and charm, he managed to land a position as a stock clerk for that summer. At first, Russ didn’t think he would be here long, but low and behold a beautiful young lady came walking in! Lisa was her name and boy was Russ smitten! Employee relationships have never been prohibited at Bishop’s, being a family owned business and all. So after 4 years of being at Bishop’s Orchards, Russ began dating Lisa! Hands down this has been his proudest moment at Bishop’s, now having been married to Lisa for ## years!! It all started with two employees in love and now many many years later, they are both STILL valued employees. They have two beautiful children, Rusty a certified accountant and Linnea a college student studying Pathology at UCONN.

Falling for Lisa wasn’t the only love Russ found. He fell in love with our family company, and seeing its growth throughout the years. Since then, Russ has been the Produce Team Manager here at Bishop’s, now going on 30 years! Russ enjoys engaging with the customers when he is on the floor. “One of the best parts of my job is interacting with the customers on the floor,” says Russ. “I sometimes see familiar faces that have been shopping at Bishop’s since I first started in 1984! Engaging with them makes me feel like our department is holding up to our company’s mission statement and making the customer’s happiness our number one priority.”

Russ’ day to day responsibilities are divided up into two sections; purchased produce and Bishop’s own produce. January through May is mainly focused on outsourced purchased produce. Then, once June hits, Bishop’s own produce, as well as other local farms’ produce, starts coming in. “This starts to be a very exciting time on the farm,” says Russ. “Some things you will see are berries and squash from our own farm field, as well as tomatoes, lettuce, corn and more from local farms like Anderson Farm, March Farms, and Cecarelli Farms.”

Multiple times a week, Russ is responsible for researching prices, placing all orders and checking inventory upon arrival in the Produce Department (bulk items included). “To help ensure our customers are getting the best and most fresh produce, we do an extensive quality control check. We have exceptional staff who goes through every pea pod, green bean, brussels sprouts… you name it! There is no “bad egg” to be found when you have this hands-on technique.” Russ expresses the importance of this process so the customers are getting the most for their money, with the quality they deserve.

As the business continues to grow, Russ hopes to see the Produce Department expand in many different ways. He sees the potential for our farm to increase available land made for produce that we currently grow. “At times some of our produce, such as our strawberries and blueberries, is limited during the early parts of their season. We then have to resort to purchasing from other farms to keep up with demand. It would be great to find more space for growing more, therefore increasing our on-hand supply for customers.”

Erica DeNuzzo has been a fundamental addition to the team and marketing department here at Bishop’s Orchards. Coming from a Graphic Design company 5 years ago, Erica has taken on a role as the Marketing Coordinator. She assists in handling aspects of marketing and public relations including the development and implementation of  marketing campaigns, tracking analytics, planning meetings and media purchases, budgeting, preparing reports, knowledge of social media platforms, creating visual & verbal content, and organizing the company’s promotional outreach efforts. Her creative background has also made her the in-house graphic designer and event coordinator.

“I know my strong suites are my organization, communication and ability to multitask. Being a Type A personality has definitely been helpful in my professional life with pushing deadlines and strategically planning,” says Erica. “There is however a huge creative side to me. I try to create a healthy balance of building structure while also being able to step outside the lines and push the boundaries. The best part of my job is visualizing an idea and seeing it run through to execution.”

Since joining the business, Erica has become more aware of the constant changes within the food industry. Bishop’s Orchards and the food industry is constantly keeping the marketing team on their toes. “Demands, trends and demographics are constantly changing, keeping the marketing team on our toes. It is up to us to determine how to approach each segment effectively,” explains Erica. On top of market segmentation changes, the marketing department is also tasked with staying up-to-date with media outlets and new resources for advertising. In the past year, Erica has been a part of the incorporation of Digital Advertising. Digital is only one aspect of Bishop’s advertising, but handled so differently than other mediums. “It was an expensive addition, but one needed to keep our brand visible, in the eyes of those searching for us.”

This time of year for the Marketing Department is filled with preparation for the Pick-Your-Own season, booking small scale events, staying on top of changing content for advertisers, and planning for the 2018 Shoreline Wine Festival on August 11th & 12th. “The Shoreline Wine Festival is a great event! Attendees can enjoy CT Wines from all over the state as well as live music, wide stream food trucks, local artisans and so much more! A lot of time, planning and organization goes into this event and it shows in how well it runs and both customers and vendors enjoyment.”  

As for future growth for Bishop’s Orchards, Erica hopes to see the addition of more events, specifically becoming a venue in the wedding industry. “Bishop’s would be a beautiful and unique location to add to wedding venues on the shoreline. People are always getting married so jumping into this industry would definitely be a smart investment on our part, as well as an enjoyable avenue to explore.”

Carly Pastore is one of the most recent members of the Bishop’s Orchards team. Coming to us with a background in sales and marketing for several different natural food brands, Carly’s experience made her a great fit for the team and as our Retail Marketing Specialist position here at Bishop’s.

Carly does anything from setting up samples for customers to taste, watching and studying different food categories and trends, restocking any displays as needed, to conversing with any customer who wants to chat. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to be downstairs interacting with customers while also contributing to plans on marketing strategy, product acquisition, category management and our Loyalty Rewards Program,” said Carly.

Not having experienced our busy season in the fall yet, Carly is anxious but excited to learn where exactly everyone is traveling from. “My goals are to bring new and innovative methods to the table, increasing product awareness and product use, and to build our Loyalty Rewards Program so customers can take advantage of what we have to offer and reap benefits by doing so.” That includes people that are traveling from right down the road, to customers that are coming from out of state.

In the meantime, we recently added a new loose bulk set to our bulk foods department. Carly explains, “there are four new items that include: Rolled Oats, Quick Oats, Brown Basmati Rice and Quinoa. They’re all USDA organic items at very competitive prices. We want to give our loyal customers another reason to choose us over our neighboring large chain grocery stores.”

As for what’s to come, you can expect to see some new looks and displays coming to Bishop’s that will be filled with new items. This is so we can offer customers a more broad selection of grocery staples and specialty products, tailored specifically to serve all that populate the community.

Carly’s favorite part about working at Bishop’s in the people. “It’s a community of people who have been loyal to the company for decades which makes it a very desirable place to work and grow. It seems like everyone gets an opportunity to spend time outside at some point during the day, or during the year which is great for overall wellness and understanding of what we are…a Farm Market.”