Jeffrey Nagelberg, founder of Panorama Produce, passed away Sept. 22, 2023, after a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. He was 78.
His son, Eric Nagelberg, directs the import division of the New York-based Panorama Sales and recalls with emotion the influence his father had in his life and the business.
In a recent call with The Packer, Eric Nagelberg recounted his father’s wisdom in both the produce business and in life, specifically admiring his ability to find the middle ground in produce relationships.
Beginnings
The family’s history in the produce business runs deep in the U.S.
Jeffrey Nagelberg’s grandfather, Albert, came to the country on a boat from Austria in 1906 when he was 8 years old. He traveled only with his younger brother, as they had recently lost their parents, and neither spoke English at the time.
When they arrived, they went to live with their uncle in New York City. From a young age, the brothers worked at their uncle’s wholesale produce business on Washington Street. The legacy of the produce business has been passed on, with Jeffrey Nagelberg and Eric Nagelberg serving as the fourth and fifth generations, respectively.
Jeffrey Harris Nagelberg was born in 1945 in Charlotte, N.C. His mother liked to say his produce journey started in Florida as a 9-year-old who used to collect ripe, fallen coconuts to cut in half and sell to food markets. She said that this was when she knew he would be successful businessman.
After moving to New York, Jeffrey Nagelberg worked summers from age 13 pulling handtrucks of produce on the cobblestone streets of the Washington Street Market in lower Manhattan. In 1968, he joined his father’s wholesale produce company, Al Nagelberg & Co., after serving in the Marines as a medic during the Vietnam War.
In 1983 Jeffrey Nagelberg started Panorama Produce; his brother Rick Nagelberg and a key assistant, Lydia Maleton, soon followed. His son, Eric Nagelberg, joined the company in 1994.
Panorama has evolved from a brokerage business to one specializing in mango imports. Eric Nagelberg says industry trends in the 1990s pointed to the growing role of imports and exports. With the support of his father, he established an import division the latter part of that decade.
“We started the import division with one container per week, and we built it into the business it is today,” said Eric Nagelberg.
In recent years, Jeffrey Nagelberg always checked in by phone when unable to be in the office.
“He was always there as my Dad, and I spoke to him every day about business,” Eric Nagelberg said. “He always was my sounding board, always my voice of reason. I find myself quoting him every day.”
Eric Nagelberg marvels about how his father tried to find the middle ground in any disagreement or discussion, with one succinct saying illustrating his philosophy. When there was a debate over an issue that had valid opposing points of view, Jeffrey Nagelberg would say, “It’s as broad as it is long.”
“He always felt like everyone had to come out of a situation feeling like they got at least some of what [they] wanted. I think that is such a key part of our industry, and it’s something that I’ve always admired about him,” said Eric Nagelberg, adding that his father’s wisdom and presence will be missed by many who knew and worked with him.
