Co-op Partners Warehouse seeing increase demand in promotional programs, organic Fairtrade bananas

St. Paul, Minn.-based Co-op Partners Warehouse is seeing increased interest in promotional programs and is adjusting to accommodate that demand, said Tom Rodmyre, warehouse director.

Co-op Partners Warehouse is an organic/natural food distributor, selling in seven states to a mix of retail and foodservice customers.

Rodmyre said the company is proud of how it helped employees through the pandemic.

“We were able to provide hazard pay for nine months,” he said, adding that the company was able to sustain and grow sales and service despite COVID-19’s challenges.

The company has also gained efficiencies during the pandemic. It took away the second shift at the beginning of the pandemic and combined that with the day shift but was able to reintroduce the second shift this past April, Rodmyre said. 

The firm completed building banana rooms in April, and Rodmyre said the company is finding good demand for its organic fair trade bananas. The banana rooms have the capacity to hold 14 pallets, and the firm is moving through up to 40 pallets of organic fair trade bananas a week, he said.

There is growth potential in the addition of new value-added precut packs, he said. One of the biggest obstacles to growth is finding qualified staff, he said.