Fueling produce consumption in the Big Apple

NEW YORK — There’s no place like Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx. Comprised of predominantly family businesses, the market of some 30 merchants moves more than 2.5 billion pounds of produce each year.

Hunts Point opened its doors on Dec. 2 to offer attendees of the New York Produce Show and Conference a tour of the 112-acre campus responsible for feeding 22 million people.

The market consists of four buildings, each of which are about one-third of a mile long. It sources produce from 49 states and 55 countries; provides 2,000 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs; receives hundreds of trucks and approximately 7,000 visits a day as well as 150 rail cars a month. It also donates over 15 million pounds of produce a year.

But the future of this bustling market — open every day of the year and responsible for supplying 25% of New York City’s fresh produce — is uncertain.

Built in 1967, the city-owned Hunts Point Produce Market outgrew the space before the first tenants moved in, said Gabriela D’Arrigo, vice president of marketing and communications of D’Arrigo New York, one of the market’s largest tenants. She says the market is in critical need of major renovations, including additional cold storage and numerous upgrades.

In September, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced Hunts Point Produce Market would receive a $110 million federal grant to upgrade and improve its facilities.

While “the money that has come in has been helpful,” additional funds are needed, said D’Arrigo, who estimates it will take $600 million or more to renovate the existing facility or build a new one. “We’re maybe a third of the way there,” she said.

The city owns the market, further complicating things for the merchants at Hunts Point, who in addition to seeking more funds are also seeking to extend their lease that ends in nine years.

“We’re pushing for a 99-year lease,” said D’Arrigo, adding that the lease is typically for 50 years. “[The government] wants to move us to New Jersey, but we don’t want to. Our bread-and-butter customers are here in New York.”

Helping the market to navigate the waters of local and federal government is Hunts Point Produce Market CEO Phil Grant.

“Phil has helped a lot,” D’Arrigo said. “He has worked in city government and understands who to talk to. You need to have someone like Phil who understands that language and what you can and can’t do.”

Grant has shone a light on the needs of Hunts Point, and government has noticed. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Adams have toured the facility multiple times to see the situation firsthand.

“As big as the market is, we definitely need more space to continue to feed New York,” Grant said. “This market is as important as a utility.”

New York is made up of thousands of independent retailers, mom and pop shops, restaurants and foodservice establishments that rely on Hunts Point Produce Market to provide them with fresh produce daily, said Matthew D’Arrigo, CEO of D’Arrigo New York, addressing the tour group.

“We are a market of last resort for oversupply,” he said. “The terminal market world sops up that extra supply” and feeds New York a steady supply of fresh produce.

“If we don’t get a deal done, there’s real potential for a big, big upheaval in this market,” said Matthew D’Arrigo, who has worked at Hunts Point Produce Market since he was 14. “We love this place. It’s home.”

D’Arrigo describes Hunts Point Produce Market as the heart of New York City’s fresh food supply. To keep it pumping, it needs to remain in New York.

Grant is confident about the market’s future in New York.

“We’re very optimistic we’re going to get this deal done,” he said.