The popular farm fresh, family-run grocery chain is making itself at home in the Garden State. After making its New Jersey debut in September 2019 at Paramus Park Mall, the Connecticut-based retailer opened a second in-state supermarket in Clifton this past summer. Founded in 1969 by the late Stew Leonard Sr. as a single store in Norwalk, the company is now a $600 million business with more than 2,500 workers across eight locations. Known for its animatronic characters and its selection of dairy, meats, seafood, produce, bakery items, cheese and prepared foods, the New York Times nicknamed the banner “the Disneyland of Dairy Stores.” President and Chief Executive Officer Stew Leonard Jr. has estimated that his chain sources dairy and produce from “hundreds” of farms in the tri-state region, noting that some of the “best products come from New Jersey, from blueberries to asparagus.” Local vendors include: Colavita Olive Oil (Edison) Jersey Italian Gravy (Oakland) and CiboVita nuts (Totowa), Donaldson Farms (Hackettstown) and D’Ottavio Farms (Vineland). During an interview last year with NJBIZ, Jake Tavello, the company’s chief operating officer, grandson of Stew Leonard and nephew of Stew Leonard Jr., said one of the biggest reasons Stew Leonard’s decided to branch out into New Jersey was “the opportunity to merchandise food and wine together.”