Distributors on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market say business was at least “steady” during 2024, and most say they anticipate a strong 2025.
The market currently has 18 wholesalers and three vacant units, said Christine Hofmann, market coordinator. Who will occupy the vacant units remains to be seen.
“We are in the process of analyzing the bids that have come in, but no decisions have been made yet,” she said.
Meanwhile, tenants continue to supply the region with a wide selection of some familiar and some rather exotic fruits and vegetables.
Ryeco LLC, a full-service produce operation, sells more than 100 items, said Filindo Colace, vice president of operations. Yams, celery, onions, apples, grapes, asparagus and broccoli rabe are some popular holiday items.
Much of the company’s business is on the foodservice side. Though most of those sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels, Colace does not expect some restaurants to reopen.
“The inflationary global economy is causing some of the places that were just making it to decide not to come back,” he said. “When you have double-digit inflation for 18 months, anyone who was thinking about opening a restaurant isn’t going to open a restaurant.”
Colace expects retail and wholesale sales to spike the week after Christmas as consumers gear up for New Year’s Eve parties.
“Sunday, Monday and Tuesday will be heavy, right before New Year’s,” Colace said.
John Vena Inc., in business since 1919, focuses on specialty produce — as many as 500 to 600 items every day — said President John Vena.
The company had little competition when it started to import greenhouse products from Holland, Belgium and Israel in the 1980s or when it later added Asian vegetables, fresh herbs and tropical fruit. But these items have now become more common as the industry evolved, Vena said.
The firm serves retailers and foodservice customers from New England to Virginia, and west to Illinois.
M. Levin & Co. Inc. is a banana house that stocks bananas and a steady supply of tropical fruits and vegetables year-round, said Tracie Levin, controller. The company also is a full-line wholesale fruit and vegetable distributor and carries more than 1,000 SKUs.
Organic and fair trade bananas also are available year-round and are picking up in popularity, she said.
“Many of our customers would like us to handle more organic produce, however, they have a problem with the additional pricing that goes along with it,” Levin said.
2024 was a good year for T.M. Kovacevich, said buyer Michael Watson.
“We have been gaining ground each year, and 2024 was no different,” he said. “Our numbers continue to increase.”
The company handles more than 500 items sourced from around the globe.
“As winter gets underway, you will find beautiful pomegranates, fresh cherries, peaches, nectarines and many citrus fruits in the store,” he said. “My favorite items are the great grapes coming from Peru.”
Another favorite are the “giant, crunchy and delicious” Autumn Crisp apples.
Despite consistent sales, trading on the market is not without its challenges.
Ryeco is fortunate that its business is “pretty steady from last year,” Filindo said.
“Normally, I like to see a little bit of growth every year, but this year, as bad as inflation has been and the economy has been … there’s less money for [consumers] to spend and, as a result, the industry has suffered.”
Although business has been “fairly steady,” prices have continued to rise, Levin said.
“The cost of growing and transportation have increased, and unfortunately this is being passed on to the consumer, and in these economic times, it makes it tough to feed a family,” she said.
Vena said he expects 2025 to be a good year, despite the usual challenges.
“Our most difficult challenges are not new; staffing, facility maintenance and technology will always be with us,” he said. “We just need to deal with those things and find new ways to sell more produce.”
