Thepacker.com - Growers and distributors who’ve joined the revamped Georgia Grown program, now in its second year, are excited about the program’s potential. “It’s been a really big plus for us,” said Tim Mercier, owner of Blue Ridge-based Mercier Orchards, one of the state’s largest apple grower-shippers. “In the past, a lot of suppliers would stay with Washington or some of the other growing areas and not even try to source local apples,” Mercier said. “The Georgia Grown program has increased the demand for local apples tremendously,” he said. “We now have access to institutional markets such as schools, where nutritionists are requesting Georgia apples, and a lot of chain stores want to feature locally grown fruit, another big plus.” -

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