The Green Room

Meeting local farmers in Virginia

By Walmart Green Room on July 25, 2012 1 comment

Stephanie Cheng, Andrea Thomas, Jack Sinclair, Tony Cheng at the Cheng’s Mountain View Orchard Asian pear farm in Stafford, VA.

As part of Walmart’s commitment to locally grown produce and healthier foods, today Jack Sinclair, Andrea Thomas and others are making a series of visits to a few farms in Virginia. The Walmart Green Room is there, too, and over the next several hours, we’ll share some insight into what we learn.

First stop: Mountain View Orchard in Stafford, Va.

Owners Stephanie and Tony Cheng have been in business for 20 years and started growing their Asian pears after failing to find them in local grocery stores. They grow two varieties on more than a thousand trees that were planted by hand. Their produce is also hand-picked and packed.

Stephanie Cheng; Ron McCormick, Walmart’s Senior Director of Agriculture; and Tony Cheng

Asian pears are typically sourced from California, but with Walmart purchasing them from Mountain View Orchard, we can provide a fresher, riper product to Virginians and their surrounding areas while supporting local communities.

Asian Pears at Mountain View Orchard in Stafford, Va.

Because of their business with Walmart, the Chengs, who also own the famous Tony Cheng’s Restaurant in Washington, D.C., are expanding Mountain View Orchard and building a large packing facility.

Next stop: a Walmart store in Gordonsville, Va.