Chester, NJ – (January 22, 2024) – The ShopRite of Chester is teaming with Three Meadows Farm and the Somerset Hills Learning Institute, a private non-profit program that offers a broad spectrum of services and education to children, adolescents and young adults with autism, to bring the farm’s Paradise Salad to store shelves.
Paradise Salad is the first product sustainably grown, harvested, and packed by young adult students who are learning job skills at Three Meadows Farm. The farm’s new Paradise Salad launches at the ShopRite of Chester, located at 183 Route 206 North, on Friday, Jan. 19. Staff from Somerset Hills Learning Institute and Three Meadows Farm will be in store on Saturday, Jan. 20 to provide shoppers with exclusive tastings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ShopRite of Chester is the first retail location to carry the product. The store’s produce buyer worked with Three Meadows Farm to help navigate the process of bringing the local product to market, with the goal of helping the farm further expand its offerings. Somerset Hills Learning Institute acquired the farm in 2016 and it functions as both a learning site for students and job site for adults.
Grown at the farm’s hydroponic greenhouse in Bedminster, Paradise Salad features a blend of lettuce, sorrel, radish microgreens and nasturtium. When brought together, the blend offers a unique and peppery flavor profile, accented by a delightful combination of spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet notes.
“We love nothing more than working with local farms to bring the freshest produce possible to the community of Chester,” said Perry Blatt, director of E-Commerce and Business Development for Village Super Market, Inc., the family-owned business that owns and operates the ShopRite of Chester. “And our relationship with Three Meadows Farm is more than just another business partnership – it is about elevating the work of an incredible organization that is providing life changing opportunities to young adults with autism. Every Paradise Salad sold at the ShopRite of Chester supports that mission, and we could not be prouder to feature this product on our shelves. We congratulate every student for their hard work and look forward to growing with Three Meadows Farm as they bring new product to market.”
“As parents of a child with autism, our hopes and dreams for our son are no different than are those for our typically-developing child,” said a parent of a student enrolled at the Somerset Hills Learning Institute. “We want Matthew to be happy, healthy, loved and independent. Working with his extended family at Three Meadows Farm has been nothing short of incredible. Matthew has obtained new skills and is truly happy going out the door each morning, and happy matters! We are so grateful to the staff at the Somerset Hills Learning Institute and to the team at Three Meadow Farms for helping our son reach for the stars! Thank you all for your support.”
Career training is a key part of the curriculum at Somerset Hills Learning Institute, which offers specialized programs to increase employment opportunities for adults with autism. At Three Meadows Farm, students are given the opportunity to experience a multitude of job readiness skills including farming, gardening, greenhouse cultivation and more.
For additional information about the Somerset Hills Learning Institute’s science and career training program at Three Meadows Farm, please visit https://www.somerset-hills.org or https://www.threemeadowsfarmnj.com/. Each purchase from Three Meadows Farm supports the Institute’s ability to provide quality treatment and education.
About ShopRite
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With nearly 280 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves millions of customers each week. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Since the program began in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated nearly $62 million to food banks that support more than 2,200 worthy charities. As a title sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, ShopRite has donated $38 million to local organizations, hospitals and community groups. For more information, please visit www.shoprite.com.