No Place Like Philly, Part 2

Welcome back to our extended coverage of Philadelphia and the legendary Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM). There’s plenty to report as the market marks two decades at its current location. If you missed Part 1, find it here.

More News and Views

As noted in our first article, the economy and other factors continue to wreak havoc for many businesses, and not just in Philadelphia and the surrounding region.

Here are two more perspectives, one on the market and the other off, about the highs and lows of dealing in perishables this year.

T.M. Kovacevich – Philadelphia, Inc. – Another long-term market tenant, T.M. Kovacevich – Philadelphia, Inc. BB #:119672, or TMK, operates out of multiple units at the PWPM and has been dealing in produce since 1984.

This is found the venerable company investing in the future through some recent personnel changes.

First, there’s the new berry team, headed up by lead berry buyer Brian Nichols. He’s assisted by Gary Trabucco, who also manages the company’s Caribbean export business. Then there’s Rich Mastero, appointed to lead the company’s tomatoes on-the-vine line.

Tom Kovacevich, president, says the buying overhaul comes during a year of challenges for many in the industry.

Chief among these were food safety issues over the summer, which gave consumers pause, and the higher-than-usual prices for just about everything.

“For TMK, the average sale price of a case of produce has shot up 16 percent in 2026 over 2025,” Kovacevich notes. “Some is a result of tariffs but also inflation in so many items that go into producing and getting fresh produce to the market.”

“For TMK, the average sale price of a case of produce has shot up 16 percent in 2026 over 2025.”

Despite the ups and downs, Kovacevich says TMK is finally seeing some recovery in retail demand and is anticipating strong sales during the fall with the school year underway.

I Love Produce, LLC – Located just over an hour west from the PWPM in West Grove, PA is a company with a name that seemingly says it all: I Love Produce, LLC BB #:204850. As grower, importer, and exporter, it specializes in conventional and organic garlic, ginger, and shallots.

The company is currently going through a period of transformation and growth following the retirement of founders Jim Provost and Neil Millman.

Samantha Snyder, director of marketing, sustainability, and innovation, says fresh root vegetables are a standout, trending category in produce according to recent Circana trend data, showing exceptionally strong sales growth over the 12-month period from August 2025 to 2026.

Snyder says organic garlic demand continues to rise, with both dollar and volume sales increasing according to Circana. Better yet, consumers appear to be willing to pay a premium for it.

She hopes the same is true for a new black garlic products the company is developing for retail and foodservice, which deliver premium umami flavor and boost dishes to restaurant grade.

To maintain year-round availability, I Love Produce sources globally with a focus on Asia and Europe, as well as both North and South America.

“I Love Produce’s operational strength is built on years of global sourcing expertise and a multilingual logistics network, which helped our company weather past storms.  

“The next phase of growth will demand deeper real-time insights.”

“The next phase of growth will demand deeper real-time insights,” she notes, and “require more visibility, agility, and sharper decision-making at every level.

To make this happen, she says, “We’re moving toward being a data-driven company, through a combination of real-time dashboards and dynamic reporting tools.

“We’ve gained the ability to evaluate product-level profitability, monitor inventory turnover, and manage every element of the business with a new level of precision.”

Future Outlook

It would be easy to dwell on the negatives, but there are far more positives to doing business in Philadelphia and its still thriving market.

Yes, prices are higher than ever, with inflation, food safety worries, tariffs, and more adding to the burden. But those in the trade are already fighting back with new products, new hires, better technology, and hard work.

And they’re making sure to do better on the sustainability front too, continuing to make it a priority at the market.

Mark Smith, the PWPM’s general manager, says the market is always looking for ways to reduce waste, improve efficiency, manage operating costs, and ensure the site’s infrastructure supports the safe and reliable movement of perishables.

Food recovery is another vital aspect of this effort. Since partnering with Sharing Excess in 2021, the market has rescued an average of approximately 8 million pounds of surplus produce each year and redirected it to people experiencing food insecurity.

“It has developed into a highly effective partnership that benefits our merchants, the market, the community, and the environment,” Smith says.