JBJ Distributing's vision drives growth in organic produce

Veg-Land, a Fullerton, CA-based grower, packer and shipper, was formed in 1976 to support warehousing and distribution to local Southern California retailers. But these same retailers needed help obtaining conventional produce, resulting in the formation of JBJ Distributing in 1980.

Today, JBJ Distributing acts as the sales and marketing component of Veg-Land. Organic produce sales comprise up to 95 percent of the company’s volume.

Rob Gurney, Sales Manager, JBJ Distributing

“In addition to our fresh organic produce line, we also offer consolidation and cross-dock programs for retailers and grower/shippers around the county,” said Rob Gurney, sales manager for JBJ Distributing. “We’ve found this to be very helpful and a good cost savings for some of our customers and even other grower shippers.”

As the organic fresh produce category has continued to increase and evolve over the years, the company feels fortunate to be a part of that growth and transformation.

“We were arguably the first company to identify the challenges that retailers faced as they tried to embrace and respond to the new interest and growing demand for organic produce in the early ’90s,” Gurney said. “We developed a full line of organic produce that was packaged and identified for retail which enabled retailers across the country to carry organics and meet this new growing demand.”

JBJ Distributing still works hard to help its customers obtain consistent, fresh and high-quality produce clearly identified for retail sale.

“Additionally, we have developed a good customer base for our off-grade product with juicers, processors and off-grade direct-to-consumer customers to help us continue to deliver the best returns for our growers,” Gurney said.
 
The biggest challenges JBJ Distributing faces in 2024 mostly have to do with the rising costs associated with growing, packaging, distributing and freight—and how those costs translate to its customers and affects its contract business. 

“I believe challenges create opportunities,” Gurney said. “With that in mind, we’re hard at work continuing to get our growers the best returns while fulfilling the needs of our customers.”

The company was sad to announce last year that company founder Jim Matiasevich passed away, but both Veg-Land and JBJ Distributing remain in good hands under the leadership of his son, Jimmy Matiasevich, who has taken the reigns and is moving the company forward with new leadership and vision.

Keeping with the philosophy that Jim Matiasevich started with when the company was first born, the goal of JBJ Distributing is to be available and accessible to customers and deliver the best product possible.

“Our philosophy hasn’t changed over the years,” Gurney said. “We take pride in taking good care of our growers while at the same time meeting the needs of our customers.”

“Additionally, we have developed a good customer base for our off-grade product with juicers, processors and off-grade direct-to-consumer customers to help us continue to deliver the best returns for our growers." - Rob Gurney

Looking ahead, JBJ Distributing’s goals for the rest of the year and beyond is to increase its grower base to better cover its year-round items with little to no gaps, as well as adding a few new retail customers to match up with the increased produce line and acreage. 
 
JBJ Distributing remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering high-quality organic produce while adapting to the changing landscape of the industry. By fostering strong relationships and prioritizing customer satisfaction, JBJ Distributing is poised for continued success and growth in the evolving world of organic produce.