Four grandchildren of Anthony DiMeo, Sr., Anthony DiMeo III, Kenneth R. Crawford, Kaitlin Crawford and Johnna Tratta, make up the fourth generation of the DiMeo family. All are dedicated to continuing their grandfathers’ family farming legacy as DiMeo Farms LLC.
 

| Our History

The DiMeo family farm originated around the turn of the 20th century. Italian immigrant, Michael DiMeo, immigrated from Sulmona, Italy, in 1895 and originally settled in Providence, Rhode Island. In search of a much better quality soil to begin his operation, he relocated to Hammonton, New Jersey.

Michael DiMeo purchased approximately 35 acres of land in Hammonton, New Jersey. The DiMeo family farm began as a raspberry and black diamond farm and evolved into a fruit and vegetable farm as the DiMeos purchased more land during the Great Depression. The original farm sold raspberries, black diamonds, sweet potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, apples, peaches, butternut squash and pumpkins. Michael DiMeo eventually passed the farm along to his son, Anthony DiMeo Sr., who altered the farm’s operations to exclusively produce top quality blueberries.

Anthony Sr. began planting “Weymouth” blueberries in the early 1940s. He started out with approximately 500 blueberry plants purchased from the president of Pemberton Bank. Over the years, he built a successfully cultivated blueberry farming operation that today encompasses more than 600 acres of land in the Southern New Jersey Pinelands Region. Most of the region is protected and preserved. DiMeo Farms is situated against the southern edge of Wharton State Forest, allowing the DiMeos to focus on land preservation. Wharton State Forest is the largest single tract of land within the New Jersey State Park System, with more than 110,000 acres of preserved land.

| Anthony DiMeo, Sr., a “Farming Legend”

Anthony DiMeo, Sr. was active in charity auctions and donations to the less fortunate. DiMeo farms sponsored many acres of “pick your own” strawberry fields along Route 206 in Hammonton, New Jersey. DiMeo farms also auctioned off many crates of strawberries to raise money for charity organizations.

DiMeo, Sr. served as president and chief of operations for the family farm for 60 years. He is also past president of Hammonton Cooperative Fruit Auction Association. He and his wife of 62 years, Mildred E. (Monzo) DiMeo, have three children.