As a multigenerational family-owned business for over 30 years, our commitment is to provide the highest quality Organic Cranberries to our customers each season! Construction of the Fresh Meadows Farm cranberry bogs was begun in 1945 by John Alves. Although John passed before construction was completed, his son (Arthur) and daughter (Albertina) completed the project two years later. Like many oth
ers of his generation, he emigrated from the Cape Verde Islands to escape a drought induced hardship and to try and create a better opportunity for his family. Born on the island of Fogo, he left a culture rich in the tradition of farming. This background led him and many of his country mates to find a home in the emerging cranberry industry here in Southeastern Massachusetts. The cranberry dry harvest has a rich history and is interwoven into the fabric of Massachusetts culture and demographics. Cranberries, one of three native North American fruits, were handpicked by Native Americans and the early settlers for centuries. With the escalation of commercial production, during the latter part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century, came an increasing demand for migrant labor. These opportunities played a large role in shaping the early geographical patterns of the Cape Verdean emigration. The ancestral heritage of Fresh Meadows Farm is directly tied to the labor demands created by this rapidly expanding cranberry industry, (more specifically the cranberry dry harvest!). Today, we are proud to still operate the cranberry bog that my grandfather, John Alves, began construction of in the fresh meadows of Carver. The lifestyle associated with growing cranberries has now touched five generations in our family.
