The Gurda family has been in the farming business for five generations. In the late 1800s, Great-Grandfather Michael Gurda immigrated from Poland and settled in the Pine Island, NY area. He purchased some black dirt land through the Mission and began the farming legacy of the Gurda family.
Our famously fertile black dirt was created at the end of the Ice Age, tens of thousands of years ago. When the ice sheets melted, it created a shallow lake that in turn drained and left behind mangrove swamps. Over time, climates changed and so did the deposits of vegetation. This helped create our unique and rich soil.
When Great Grandfather and other Polish immigrants settled in this area, they started to cultivate the land by clearing the natural vegetation and providing controlled drainage. Their reward for this backbreaking work was the rich black dirt that has proven to be an ideal growing medium for a multitude of crops and a wide variety of produce. The area is perhaps best known for growing the most delicious onions.
During the 1940s, the family farm expanded by providing goods to New York City markets including celery, lettuce and carrots and onions. Grandfather, George Gurda and his five sons, helped grow the business into one of the largest produce farms in New York State. Many of the markets that were supplied by the Gurda Farm during this time are still our valued customers. Today, Andrew and David Gurda own, manage and actively operate the farm.
A. Gurda Produce serves customers in the tri-state Metro area and throughout New England. We package onions and potatoes year round and sell our own onions, potatoes and a wide variety of vegetables to supermarkets and wholesalers.
Our company continues to evolve to meet the needs of our customers, from the changing varieties of produce we grow and sell, to the styles and types of packaging we offer. We work to keep on-trend with tastes, and trends.
A. Gurda Produce, along with our farm, Davandjer Farms, participate in three major audits a year to ensure excellent food safety standards. We keep up to date with food safety regulations and certifications. Recently, A. Gurda Produce became certified to handle organic onions.
We are proud to pass the knowledge of farming and our family farm down through the generations, from Great Grandfather to my own two daughters, who work on the farm, like so many proud generations of Gurdas before them.
~ Andrew Gurda, Owner, A. Gurda Produce