PHILADELPHIA: Selling in the City of Brotherly Love

“The new facility is ideal in terms of access and cold chain. Each merchant can control its own temperatures depending on the commodity, and produce is lasting longer and staying fresher. And,” Hoffman emphasizes, “shoppers appreciate the covered facility that protects them from heat, rain, and snow.”

Hoffman also reminds us that the new facility was built with the environment in mind. “We recycle about 85 percent of the plastics, cardboard, and pallets that come through here,” she explains, “and even send bad produce to pig or slop farms.”

FRESH FORUM
How does business this year compare to last year?

Jack Collotti – Collotti & Sons, Inc.
So far so good; we took a few hits earlier this year—it was an unpredictable time—but things are going well now.

Steve Secamiglio – Colonial Produce, Inc.
Business is going well this year; it’s definitely increasing and the fact that everyone wants to be healthier and on a produce kick is helping.

Chip Wiechec – Hunter Bros., Inc.
Business has been good; our package volume is up, which means we’re selling more. I’m really pleased that we’ve been in the new market for five years and happy with what’s ahead for us.

Dan Vena – John Vena, Inc.
Business has been very good; we’re five years in the new market and couldn’t be happier.

Mark Levin – M. Levin & Company, Inc.
Business is steady; I’m not going to say it is great or bad, but it’s steady. We’re a full-on fruit and vegetable house, and some of the fruit that’s already in season didn’t get off to the start it did last year—peaches, plums, apricots—but it picked up.

Mike Maxwell – Procacci Bros./Garden State Farms
Our business is up; the early spring weather was bad, but it got better and everything seemed to come together. Summer business was very good; we pulled a lot of local produce and items from Canada.

George C. Manos – T.M. Kovacevich
Business is better this year; we’re experiencing a really good year and starting to expand all of our lines and make more deliveries.

Merchant Love
“We moved here five years ago and haven’t looked back,” enthuses Vena. “It has been a huge improvement for our business as well as for acquiring food safety certifications.”

Maxwell at Proccaci Bros. is just as enthusiastic as Vena. “We have the most modern market in the world—there is nothing else like it,” he observes. “The facility is totally enclosed which keeps the cold chain intact. At the old market, everything was exposed—reefers would load at air temp and then turn on their units and try to cool things down from 95 degrees or heat them up from zero.

“Anytime you keep the cold chain intact you reduce shrinkage,” Maxwell continues. “The increase in overhead costs at the new market is well offset by the ability to sell better quality produce.”