Business updates from Hunts Point Produce Market and beyond

Check out some updates on the businesses inside and nearby the Hunts Point Produce Market, Bronx, N.Y.

Baldor Specialty Foods adds retail customer

Baldor Specialty Foods will supply some of The Fresh Market stores, said Michael Muzyk, Baldor president.

Baldor, primarily a foodservice wholesaler with a fresh-cut retail product division, will start supplying at least 29 The Fresh Market stores in the Northeast, he said.

“That’s us continuing to reinvent ourselves. Just diversifying the portfolio,” Muzyk said.

Canyon Sales starts transportation division

Canyon Sales, broker of GPOD of Idaho potatoes, other potatoes, onions and carrots, created a separate limited liability company, Fast & Fresh Logistics, to also broker transportation for its customers.

“With transportation being really difficult, we really need to be aware of where the product is at all times. We need to have control over the whole process. We can’t leave it in anyone else’s hands anymore,” said Lou Getzelman Jr., who deals with receivers and organizing the transportation.

His father, Louis Getzelman, has been president and owner since August 2019.

Coosemans New York imports new fruits

Coosemans New York is importing more products out of Ecuador and Brazil, including santa claus melons, yellow canary melons and dino melons. 

The firm is the sole distributor in New York of the dino, said Ray Hernandez, in charge of purchasing.

“Also, we’re excited about a new program starting in late February, early March: the mingolo mango,” he said. “That’s a project we’re looking forward to.”

There are only two certified U.S. shippers of mingolo from the Dominican Republic. A partnership with a hot water treatment plant enabled the company to gain distributor privileges.

FreshDirect kicks off two-hour grocery delivery

FreshDirect launched its express two-hour, on-demand grocery delivery in Manhattan, Brooklyn and parts of Queens.

The express service offers a curated selection of FreshDirect’s best products, said Eric Stone, vice president of merchandising.

In Washington, D.C., the firm partnered with a robotic fulfillment technology company to enable two-hour, on-demand delivery of a wide selection of FreshDirect’s products.

Earlier, FreshDirect expanded delivery capacity to New York City’s suburbs, including those in Westchester County, N.Y.; Long Island, N.Y.; New Jersey and Connecticut. This expansion responded to a 100% growth surge in its suburban footprint, Stone said.

Nathel & Nathel hires buyer, engineer

Nathel & Nathel hired Joshua Gatcke, fruit procurement buyer, and Alex Cohen, engineering and compliance manager.

Gatcke is owner Ira Nathel’s son and started in June, previously working in Washington, D.C., in defense and aerospace consulting.

Gatcke studied science technology and international affairs with a focus on business development at Georgetown University.

Cohen has worked in heavy industry, durable goods and consumer electronics for large companies. 

“We brought him on to help me out and bolster our capabilities in the warehouse and overall. He has a fresh outlook,” Gatcke said.

Cohen’s experiences are universally applicable and will bring more sophistication to the business, he said.

S. Katzman Produce acquires, renovates eight more units

In 2019, S. Katzman Produce bought out LBD Produce, which closed in late 2019.

Stefanie Katzman said her family company has converted LBD’s eight units and renovated them, while also hiring the two owners.

“It increased our footprint on the market and allowed us to modernize, with refrigeration and bacteria scrubbers that take out ripening gases,” she said. “All these modern technologies add to our efficiencies and quality of our product, and it’s a lot nicer to work in.”

Katzman replaced the cinderblock walls with refrigerator walls, adding refrigeration units and the Bio Turbo, which is an ethylene absorber.

Removing ethylene gas prevents premature ripening, bacteria, mold spores and viruses, according to the Bio Turbo website.

In January, Katzman started offering with Fresh Express bagged salads, she said. 

“Before, we did salad clamshells, but no mixes. We’re planning to start offering mixed bags with proteins next month,” Katzman said in October.