Search - The Packer

Coastal Sunbelt Produce was in the room where it all started.

The struggles of U.S. foodservice operators have been well-publicized since March, and the ramifications for the produce trade are well-evident in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., markets.

For Ohio produce suppliers and their foodservice clients, things were going — and growing — smoothly through the winter months.

The Chelsea-Everett area bordering Boston was hit hard — really hard — by the new coronavirus in March and April, but many of the region’s produce companies are inching their way back to better days.

Most people embark on a hodgepodge approach to building sustainability into their business plan, said Andrew Southwood, owner of Montreal-based Fresh Xpressions.

Montreal Produce Terminal Market moved in late spring from an outdoor terminal in the Central Market area to a $40 million, 120,000-square-foot renovated and rebuilt facility.

When C&C Produce Inc. decided to take part in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program, it gave the company an incentive to move forward with some needed enhancements.

Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt said consumers are seeing the value in buying locally grown produce more since the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of the supply chain.

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through the supermarket industry, with shoppers in panic-buying mode stripping fruit and vegetable shelves bare.

Bix Produce has swung into action not only to keep its customers well stocked, but to do whatever is necessary to help them adapt to new ways of doing business, said Alejandro Montoya, CEO and CFO.