Sid Wainer & Son recovering after fire, postpones food-rescue efforts

Sid Wainer & Son, New Bedford, Mass., has rerouted daily operations and postponed a COVID-19 food rescue pop-up following a fire at its distribution center. 

No one was hurt at the fire, which began in the early morning hours of March 24, said Allie Wainer, executive vice president of the specialty produce and specialty foods distributor.

The fire destroyed six tractor-trailers, damaged several loading dock doors, and smoke damaged some product inside the warehouse, Wainer said.

“They were able to save the building,” she said about the 120,000-square-foot warehouse that holds about 4,000 stock-keeping units. “They’re still investigating the details of what caused the fire, but we’re back up and running and shipping to customers. We’re happy to be moving forward.”

Sid Wainer & Son has shifted its daily operations to a smaller processing warehouse about 15 minutes away, she said. Wainer expects the company to be able to return operations to the main distribution center within a week or so.

Meanwhile, a second food-rescue pop-up, scheduled for March 25, was postponed during the cleanup.

The first pop-up was March 21, drawing about 2,000 people to the Friendly Fruits retail shop located at the main distribution center. The shop has been open to the public for almost 50 years, offering discounted prices on produce and other food, which is usually broken down into smaller quantities for the community.

“We felt like we definitely could do it again, so we’re postponing it for the time-being because of the fire and getting more product back into the facility. Once we are fully back up in the distribution center, we look to find a way to help the community again as soon as we can,” Wainer said.

Sid Wainer & Son offered the produce and other food at steep discounts to help people affected by the new coronavirus pandemic’s economic fallout. They stood six feet apart in a line out the door.

“We just stocked it up with bulk items and really cut the cost down knowing the situation that the community is in right now,” Wainer said.

The company, which handles a lot of foodservice business, is also using the pop-up to divert some of those products, as the pandemic has caused many restaurants to close or do only takeout and delivery to prevent rapid spread of infection.

Sid Wainer & Son was founded by Wainer’s great grandfather, Henry Wainer, in New Bedford in 1914, serving chefs, restaurants and caterers in the Northeast.

“We’re just really grateful for the outpouring of support from the industry and community in this time and look forward to getting back to normal,” she said.

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