Massachusetts

Boston Summer Business Builds Momentum

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:19:27 GMT

Produce business seems to be bouncing back in the Boston area this summer following a challenging winter/spring period, and distributors are hopeful the upward trend will continue into fall.

Peter Condakes Co.

“It was a very quiet winter and spring,” says Peter John Condakes, president of Peter Condakes Co. Inc. at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, Mass.

The region underwent three straight months of below-normal temperatures, he says, and other major U.S. population centers endured chilly weather as well, which limited consumers from venturing out.

At the same time, weather in growing areas like Florida and Mexico was perfect, he says, resulting in bountiful supplies of many fresh produce items.

“There was an abundance of product and a dearth of demand,” Condakes says.

Since up to 70% of the company’s business is foodservice, sales were impacted when residents decided not to visit their favorite restaurants. The slowdown lasted into May, but business started growing again in June and was back to normal by August.

Top-selling summer items at Peter Condakes Co. include several kinds of squashes, peppers, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and leafy greens. It offers products from local growers in summer, especially row crops, along with a few local tomatoes, Condakes says.

Community-Suffolk

Steven Piazza, president of Chelsea-based Community-Suffolk Inc., says area business has continued to improve after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We really had a shaking out in the New England area,” he says. “Since then, we’ve bounced back, and everybody in the industry seems to be flourishing and doing well.”

Summer items at Community-Suffolk include a wide selection of local vegetables from Canada, such as broccoli, celery, carrots and potatoes.

“The Canadian product is just starting to come into its own,” Piazza said in early August. “People are looking for [vegetables] that are closer to home and fresh.”

The company handles about 40 items.

“We tend to concentrate on what we do best and try to maintain our volume, quality and value on those items,” Piazza says.

So far, quality seems to be very nice this season, he says, despite a heat spell in late July.

“I think they’re going to grow through that and maintain good quality until the fall,” Piazza adds.

J. Bonafede & Sons

Business at J. Bonafede & Sons at the New England Produce Center has been similar to last year, but Eugene Fabio, president, says he’d like more foot traffic.

“Ever since COVID, foot traffic has gone down,” Fabio says.

The company sells mostly tropical fruits and vegetables. Sales of mangoes, cactus pears and limes are active, he says, while banana movement is steady. Other good sellers include avocados and Canadian tomatoes.

J. Bonafede & Sons also offers organic bananas and sometimes has some organic pineapples and limes on hand.

Smaller stores tend to blossom in the spring and summer in the Boston area, Fabio says, and the number of ethnic stores, especially Southeast Asian markets, continues to increase.

J. Bonafede & Sons typically stocks about 40 items.

The company also does a fair amount of foodservice business, but it often reaches foodservice customers, such as schools and airports, through wholesalers, Fabio says.

Upgrades

Some companies at the New England Produce Center have made improvements to better serve their customers.

Peter Condakes Co. Inc. has relaunched its website, Condakes says.

“That was a long time coming,” he says.

The revamped site, petercondakes.com , offers a comprehensive listing of all the fruits, vegetables, tomatoes and tropical items the company offers and provides background on the firm, which traces its roots back to 1900.

J. Bonafede & Sons is in the middle of some cosmetic and functional renovation Fabio says.

That includes replacing the electric refrigeration units in some of the company’s trailers, replacing some trailers, rebuilding several banana rooms, installing new lighting and replacing refrigeration in the cooler.

“We’re putting some money into the [facility] to make it work better, look better and buff up the appearance a little bit,” he says.

The company also was concluding a third-party food safety audit in early August, and it has hired Fabio’s son, Alex, to take on a number of responsibilities, including personnel and overseeing buying.

Alex Fabio has a wide range of experience working in and operating a number of businesses, his father says, adding: “We’re hoping some of his
experience will help us focus our business and to grow it.”

From bog to market: The Massachusetts cranberry industry

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 17:50:24 GMT

The Massachusetts cranberry industry is steeped in rich history, dating back over two centuries, and today it remains a vital part of the state’s agricultural economy. As one of the top cranberry-producing regions in the world, Massachusetts is home to sprawling bogs that offer both beauty and bounty.

Built on Native American harvesting traditions, Massachusetts cranberry farming dates back to the early 1800s. Over the years, the industry has grown, bringing cranberries into households worldwide.

A unique ecosystem

The cranberry bogs are ecosystems that play an important role in both agriculture and the environment. Whether naturally occurring or constructed, these bogs provide the ideal growing conditions for cranberries.

According to Massachusetts Cranberries , “Tens of thousands of years ago, receding glaciers carved out cavities in the land that evolved into cranberry bogs. Newly formed kettle ponds filled with sand, clay and debris formed the perfect environment for vines to spread across the South Shore, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Massachusetts was born with cranberry bogs. For two hundred years, it has been where tradition has met innovation.”

The organization says cranberries are the region’s largest agricultural food crop, and vital to the local economy, contributing more than 6,400 jobs and $1.7 billion to the commonwealth annually.

“In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 300-plus statewide growers have navigated a challenging industry over the last decade. Growers have been challenged by issues that span multi-generation family farms — from agricultural sustainability, the limited education opportunities to foster careers in agricultural fields, to attracting new farmers, to climate concerns, carrying the responsibility for technology improvements by self-innovating their farming equipment advances, etc.,” the organization says.

Massachusetts cranberries

When it’s time for harvesting, it’s all about the deep red color, says Brian Wick, executive director for Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association .

“What’s always been a determining factor for harvest is ‘when is it going to have enough color?’ The color determines when the cranberries are ready to harvest, and the red color is coming on pretty fast this year,” Wick said.

Fresh cranberries sold in the bag are only a small portion of production, with about 3-4% of farmers harvesting fresh cranberries, he said.

“But the rest of the cranberries? They are destined to be sweet and dried cranberries, cranberry juice and cranberry sauce. For those, we are moving more into the higher-yielding varieties. About 40% of the growers in Massachusetts have the traditional heirloom varieties of cranberries,” Wick said.

The Massachusetts climate lends well to cranberry production.

“Cranberries require fresh water, and they prefer an iron-rich source of water, which we have here,” Wick said. “That, and cranberries like the sandy soils we have here, along with the correct pH balances, and then they need to have a cold spell during their dormancy period to set fruit for the following year. Plus, we have the right temperatures here, giving us all the right, natural conditions to grow cranberries — and that’s why they continue to thrive here.”

Another advantage, Wick says, is location.

“We have the advantages of being on the East Coast,” he said. “Since about 30% of the North American cranberry market is exported, our location being close to Europe gives us some logistical advantages.

“Plus, cranberries are part of the fabric of southeastern Massachusetts,” Wick continued. “It’s synonymous to the area where cranberries are located. The bogs are tucked in here and there among the houses, and open spaces and cranberry bogs are intermingled in this area. So even if someone isn’t familiar with the industry, they can certainly drive by, see the bog and get excited for harvest as well. And seeing the harvest occur, so it’s just very much entrenched into the communities here in Massachusetts.”

Water conservation, organic farming and renewable energy initiatives also are at the forefront of the state’s cranberry operations, allowing the industry to balance productivity with environmental responsibility.

The Massachusetts cranberry industry.

(Photo courtesy of Massachusetts Cranberries)

Innovations in cranberry cultivation

The cranberry industry is deeply connected to tradition, and Massachusetts cranberry farmers embrace cutting-edge technology to optimize their harvests. From advanced irrigation systems to drones and data-driven farming practices, innovation is reshaping how cranberries are grown and harvested.

“The industry is moving toward these newer varieties that have been developed, and so our growers are starting to convert theirs in Massachusetts to these higher-yielding varieties,” Wick said.

“And if you contrast that to, say, Wisconsin or Quebec, those regions are almost 100% in the new varieties, so we’re catching up to those regions,” he added. “It takes many years to get production back, so it’s not a simple process. It’s capital intensive and will take five or six years to get full production out of the vines. But they will produce three or four times what the native varieties produce.”

Another innovation is the potential of agricultural drone usage.

“We’re starting to evaluate the use of large-scale drones that can apply fertilizers or pesticides. We’re still in the early stages of it, but we have some growers working on researching and studying it. I think it will be part of our future,” Wick said. “Particularly here in Massachusetts where we have smaller-sized bogs that have odd shapes to them, a drone might make sense for some of these growers as a way to get into precision agriculture where you can fine-tune your application.”

Opportunities for retailers

Cranberries have grown beyond juice and sauce. Today’s market demands year-round products from dried cranberries to health-focused snacks. Massachusetts farmers are diversifying their offerings to respond to consumer trends, opening new opportunities for marketing in the grocery store.

“Cranberries are very much a signature part of fall and how what people think about when they think about our native fruit,” Wick said. “So that will soon be hitting the store shelves, probably [in] October.”

With growing interest in local and sustainable products, retailers have unique opportunities to showcase cranberries year-round.

“For several years we’ve had challenges with the changing climate. September weather previously has been warm, warm nights, and that is not what brings on the red color,” Wick said. “This year we’ve had nights where the temperatures dropped in the bogs — down into the 30s even — and some warm sunny days, which is perfect for bringing on the red color.

“Because of this, it looks like this year’s harvest will be a little bit earlier than it has been,” he continued. “This is good, because when they need to wait for the color it can cause quality concerns. And, like, I said, the color should be good this year which, on the retail side, is always good because consumers are looking for that nice red color.”

State Garden announces 3 new hires

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 13:15:39 GMT

Chelsea, Mass.-based produce supplier State Garden says three strategic hires will bring new capabilities and expertise to the organization’s rapidly evolving portfolio of brands and offerings, including Olivia’s Organics, Northeast Fresh, and more.

Over the past year, State Garden has expanded its geographic footprint and market penetration with new brands, new products lines and new strategic partnerships, according to a news release.

The hires include Tom Thompson as chief revenue officer, Dinesh Babu as vice president of quality and food safety and Faye Doyle as director of marketing.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Tom, Dinesh and Faye to the State Garden family,” State Garden CEO Mark DeMichaelis said in the release. “As a company, we’re growing fast, with a lot of exciting opportunities on the horizon. Their expertise will be crucial as we continue to grow brands like Olivia’s Organics to new markets.”

Thompson’s role will entail driving overall revenue activities with an immediate focus on enhancing strategies focused on State Garden’s emerging brands and growth opportunities, the company said. Before joining State Garden, Thompson worked throughout the food supply chain with expertise in field- and greenhouse-grown products.

“I’m thrilled to join the State Garden team,” Thompson said. “It’s incredible to be part of a company that has cultivated the No. 1 organic packaged salad brand in the East with Olivia’s Organics. They’ve achieved this by prioritizing the consumer over the course of four generations, staying true to their values, and keeping an eye on the future.”

Babu will oversee food safety, compliance and quality management programs while fostering a culture of food safety across the organization and value chain, the release said. Prior to joining State Garden, Babu managed food safety for several notable produce companies. He has a Ph.D. in food science and food microbiology from Oklahoma State University.

“State Garden has a proven industry reputation for leading food safety practices, from proprietary triple-washed processes to intensive pre-screening of all products,” Babu said. “I’m so excited to join the team and share my knowledge and expertise.”

Doyle will lead all marketing efforts for State Garden’s core brands, inclusive of consumer insights, brand strategy, campaign development and execution, strategic planning and innovation.

Doyle has more than 20 years of marketing experience across many industries, including CPG and family brands.

“As a family business bringing fresh, healthy foods to families in New England and beyond, State Garden and its brands have such a powerful story to tell,” Doyle said. “I’m happy to help shape and share those stories as we look to expand with new products in new markets.”

Tour this Boston-area retailer's produce department

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:41:02 GMT

We heard a lot of good things about the nearby Market Basket location while touring the Boston Market Terminal and New England Produce Center — so we stopped by ourselves to check out why it got such high praise.

What we experienced was a store that wasn’t high-end but had top-notch selection. The diversity of produce was almost mind-boggling, with large Latin, Caribbean and Asian sections. And the prices were still reasonable.

We also noticed the merchandising skill of combining like products. For instance, the intuitive placements of products like bottles of soy sauce above the fresh bok choy could nudge shoppers to buy when common recipe ideas are made easy.

Food trends popped up all over, from vegetable noodles to dragonfruit.

Watch our video slide show to see what you think.

Related news:

Boston-area produce professionals work smarter to survive and thrive

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:36 GMT

BOSTON — This Northeast U.S. region marked by wealth, smaller independent retailers, ethnic diversity and high-end foodservice keeps adjusting to today’s challenges to feed its people and those beyond its borders.

These characteristics mean good business for New England area fresh produce industry professionals — provided they work smarter and keep a tight control on their inventory to combat the rising costs of, well, everything.

“There’s a lot of power and opportunity that comes out of Boston,” said Fernando Aguiar, senior account manager for Naturipe Farms , an international grower-packer-shipper of berries.

New England is still the No. 1 market for berry consumption like it was 15 years ago, so it was a no-brainer to keep a Naturipe office in the region to this day, Aguiar said.

He handles big-box stores as well as club stores, foodservice and wholesale business in the office above the six-vendor Boston Market Terminal in Everett.

The terminal is a stone’s throw across the parking lot to the larger New England Produce Center in Chelsea, which is near the New England Flower Exchange.

“It’s also a big foodservice market in Boston,” Aguiar said. “They demand higher-grade specs, like a stem strawberry. We get requests for premium products, like a chocolate-dipped, nut-covered strawberry.”

Besides doing local blueberries and fill-ins for local retailers, in April, May and June, Everett-based Ruma Fruit and Produce Co. packs and distributes fresh fiddleheads in all major nationwide chain stores and foodservice suppliers, said Jim Ruma, company president.

“We have a very strong economy in the Boston area, a lot of new businesses coming into the city and new restaurants, hotels and retailers. The Boston area is very active in terms of growth,” Ruma said.

Peter Resteghini, who buys and sells mostly berries and melons for 4M Fruit Distributors at the New England Produce Center, said overall, business is steady day to day, although it’s changed.

“Dollar-wise, business is great. Volume is another story,” Resteghini said.

Retailers are asking for less volume, and growers are getting more yield from less acreage.

“It costs a lot more to package these products, so I think everybody has to work a little smarter, have better inventory control,” he said.

Supplying the trends

This urban environment where many cultures mix means there are more specialty items than ever.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Boston terminal price listings include large categories for tropical fruits and vegetables, Asian vegetables, nuts, herbs and ornamental flowers.

The nearby Market Basket retail location has a dizzying array of produce for the sophisticated trend-oriented shopper, as well as shoppers who stick to the food of their ethnic heritage. The rows of locally grown, organic, fresh-cut, value-added, packaged and loose Asian, Latin and Caribbean items are poised to satisfy most of the world’s preferences.

The top five retailers are Stop & Shop , C&C (a wholesaler), Hannaford , Shaw’s and Market Basket in the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine region, according to the latest Shelby Market Shares data. Major cities include Bangor, Boston, Manchester, Portland and Providence.

Buyers from these large regional retailers will go to the local wholesale markets to fill in their orders when their supplies from direct sources fall short, or when there are special deals.

The amount of variety in the area is getting almost ridiculous, said Stephen J. Condakes, vice president and director of marketing at Peter Condakes Co. in Chelsea.

“In the tomato line, if you walk through a supermarket, you will see the most confusing display of product that you could possibly see. I mean, we, here, carry maybe over 25 different [stock-keeping units] of different style tomatoes,” Condakes said as he stood in the tomato repacking plant.

“A supermarket will carry over 50. A shopper walks in and sees over 30 feet of tomatoes. What do you buy? It’s confusing.”

At the Peter Condakes Co. wholesale division, vegetable salesman Paul Coronella said he’s watched the consumer demand trends evolve since he started in this business in 1974. He’s amazed by the growing desire for more baby arugula year-round, and Brussels sprouts in fall and winter. Chicory seems to be dwindling in demand.

“That’s going absolutely crazy. It’s unbelievable,” Coronella said about baby arugula. “That’s an item that’s taken off just in the last couple years. Also, kale, year-round.”

History

Side by side, the Boston Market Terminal in Everett and New England Produce Center in Chelsea, plus all the large companies established in surrounding buildings, comprise the heart of New England’s fresh produce industry.

The produce center was completed in 1968 to replace the Faneuil Hall, where Boston area farmers had sold their fruits and vegetables since 30 years before the Revolutionary War.

It’s the largest privately owned terminal market in the U.S., organized by a board of directors comprised of tenants voted in annually, according to the center’s website. There are 128 store units, 24-feet-by-100-feet.

The center has 27 vendors today taking up those units, said manager John Lucero.

The terminal, which has six vendors today, was built later in 1968 for overflow. It’s owned by three major stockholder and a few smaller shareholders, said Jim Praski, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s officer-in-charge of Fruit and Vegetable Market News.

Railway access still enables train car delivery of carrots, potatoes and onions. Trucks drop off and pick up shipments on both sides of the facilities.

Finding a new niche

Boston’s wholesalers, distributers and marketers are consolidating while also diversifying to survive as national retailers bypass them to source directly at the farms.

Tommy Piazza, corporation clerk and head of potato procurement and sales at Community-Suffolk Inc. in Everett, said the Boston Market Terminal is helping large retailers in the New England region including Maine, Vermont, western Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island when they run long, as well as short.

“We can handle it for them, and handle it fairly,” Piazza said.

“In chain stores’ large-volume contract situations, if there’s a hiccup, they have a place to replace what they need. And with growers, if there’s surplus anywhere, there’s talent and integrity here to sell it at the market rate so as not to cause terrible damage in the market.”

To survive these days, Boston area produce professionals have to work in an even more “smart, honest way,” Piazza said. “The days of taking an extra margin — not that it was ever right — are done.”

For retailers, it’s no longer just filling the produce counter and hoping shoppers buy it. There’s a lot of dot-com business to be had, Aguiar said, from home-delivery programs to curbside pickup services to personal shoppers.

“They all do it a little differently,” Aguiar said.

“Change is coming, and we see that we’ll have to develop something that’s more dot-com efficient. As an industry, we’re going to figure it out — how to get one clamshell of strawberries delivered to your home.”

Related news:

Bostonians strategize about local food

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:36 GMT

BOSTON — Eating, buying and selling local produce is a desirable goal for many Bostonians, but it’s not a simple one.

Retailers lean toward local procurement provided, quality-wise, it’s there, the Northeast region’s fresh produce professionals say.

But local or not, “their first concern is quality,” said Peter Resteghini, a buyer and seller at the 4M Fruit Distributors sales showroom at the New England Produce Center, Chelsea.

The buyers who source from their local wholesale markets are a conscientious lot.

“This is the guy who will come in and cut a honeydew and taste it before buying it,” Resteghini said.

For instance, when there was a bad crop of local peaches a few years ago, they still sourced from afar despite customer demand for local. It’s a sliding scale.

When it’s peak local produce season in the New England area, business slows at the tomato repacking division of Peter Condakes Co. , Chelsea, said Stephen J. Condakes, vice president and marketing director of the receiver, packer, distributor and wholesaler.

“The local product this time of year always digs into our trade. We expect it, and we adjust for it,” Condakes said about the repacking. But the company’s wholesale divisions still have local suppliers.

Compared to other regions in the U.S., Boston is characterized by smaller retail companies, more independents and higher-end grocers.

These buyers, sellers and other business contacts are using Instagram to showcase their beautiful local produce, said Tommy J. Piazza of Community-Suffolk Inc. in the Everett-based Boston Market Terminal .

“It puts it out there more and people see it,” Piazza said.

These are buyers who often go for flavor over a longer shelf life to differentiate their stores from the big guys.

“But there are no set rules. Everything costs more these days, so if you don’t sell it, it’s a loss,” Resteghini said.

Everett-based Ruma Fruit and Produce specializes in fiddleheads that grow in western Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and Canada, as well as wild Maine blueberries, the small kind that go in pies, said Jim Ruma, president.

“Fiddleheads are a big market for us, even though it’s a short season, as well as the blueberries,” Ruma said.

“These local pickers showed up at our dock one day, so we packed and shipped them, and then they kept coming.”

The blueberries go to regional chain stores.

When Fernando Aguiar, senior account manager for the Everett sales office of Naturipe Farms , was a buyer for Stop & Shop 15 years ago, business was more centralized and out of state.

“That model of procurement has reversed back to the local region, and that’s helped all of us. Now we’re back to being really close to our buyers,” Aguiar said.

In Boston, like elsewhere, the trends are local, organics, sustainable packaging and brand identity, and companies can use the local farm name or point of origin as a selling point.

“Everybody’s trying to differentiate themselves with more graphic labels,” Resteghini said.

Retail buyers are ordering more strategically too, Resteghini said, buying two loads a week versus the three or four loads they used to buy from other sources, and then filling in with local wholesalers like 4M when they need to.

There’s a lot more speculation and risk these days, dealing with customers who need last-minute retail fill-in orders, trucks arriving on time, questions of getting creditized.

“We always need rolling inventory,” he said.

Related news:

RLS Logistics plans to build Massachusetts facility

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 19:33:27 GMT

Mount Laurel, N.J.-based RLS Logistics, through its affiliate RLS Partners, has unveiled plans to develop an 83,000 square-foot, temperature-controlled facility in central Massachusetts.

This site will be the newest addition to the RLS Partnering Regional Operator network of family-operated cold chain experts and is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to a news release.

The facility will provide food distributors, processors, and importers in the New England region with cold storage capacity and access to RLS’ established temperature-controlled LTL (less than truckload) consolidation programs throughout the region, according to the release.

“There’s a tremendous opportunity in New England. We’re developing a new facility in a market where we think it’s needed and where there hasn’t been a new offering in years,” Bryan Hedge, an executive working exclusively with RLS on developing this project, said in the release.

The facility, the release said, will put 18,000 temperature-controlled pallet positions near key interstate highways, which will position the facility in the middle of the New England region as well as RLS Logistics’ transportation network.

Morning Kiss Organic to feature expanded offerings at organic show

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:04:05 GMT

Chelsea, Mass.-based Morning Kiss Organic — which has expanded its program with organic kiwis and pears, available year-round — will exhibit at the Organic Produce Summit July 10-11 in Monterey, Calif.

The company has added orange-mango to the original lineup of orange, grapefruit, and lemonade cold-pressed juices, according to a news release. Morning Kiss Organic is the organic brand of Gold Bell, DiSilva Fruit and Arrowfarms.

“Our mission is to support farmers, the environment and our community through our line of organic fruits and vegetables,” Mike Guptill of Morning Kiss Organic said in the release. “We think everyone should have access to high-quality, affordably priced organic produce.”

The company specializes in sustainable packaging that reduces waste, according to the release.

Morning Kiss Organic works with East Coast farmers when possible so the products are subject to less travel, according to the release.

“We are looking forward to connecting with retailers and introducing them to our program offerings, as well as our new items,” Nelly Czajkowski of Morning Kiss Organic said in the release.

Related news:

NEPC Expo to emphasize simplicity, floral, personal responsibility

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:36 GMT

Although regional produce conferences have a broader reach than their namesake areas, there’s something about keeping it local, simple and intimate that appeals to participants.

That’s how Lauren Mordasky, owner-operator of Vermont Hydroponic Produce , Florence, Vt., feels about the New England Produce Council’s Produce, Floral & Food Service Expo, Sept. 18-19, at Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

“We’ve been part of the NEPC, oh gosh, 10 or 12 years, and we’ve had a booth the last 6 to 8 years. We get to connect with all our Northeast buyers,” Mordasky said.

“Everyone makes the rounds, says ‘hi.’ It’s more intimate.”

This is the expo’s 20th anniversary, which will have a floral segment double the size of 2018’s event, NEPC executive director Laura Sullivan said. There may be more than 160 exhibitor booths, about 20 more than last year.

Tantillo

The first day begins in the afternoon with educational seminars featuring Tony Tantillo, “The Fresh Grocer” TV personality and food editor broadcast on CBS affiliates nationwide.

Born in Sicily, Tantillo grew up assisting his father at southern San Francisco wholesale markets. He partnered in a namesake restaurant and runs a Tantillo company selling Italian pastas and other foods.

Several years after moving to New York City in 2000, he was a spokesman for Hunts Point Produce Terminal Market in the Bronx.

“We think that he’ll give an educational, entertaining produce presentation, talking about where we are now and peek into the future of produce,” Sullivan said.

Then there’s an invitation-only VIP reception at the Top of the Hub for sponsors and Career Pathways program participants — area university students chosen to participate in the conference’s activities plus bonus mentorship, networking and field experiences. A cocktail reception in the same venue for everyone follows.

Top of the Hub is a lounge and restaurant in the Prudential tower 52 floors above Boston’s Back Bay with iconic skyline views.

The expo planning committee also chose this venue because it’s walking distance from the convention, so transportation won’t be an issue, Sullivan said.

Dachman

The second day starts with a keynote breakfast led by Rich Dachman, former vice president of produce for Sysco Corp. , where he retired from in June after 28 years.

His “Are you truly committed to the produce industry?” talk will focus on what foodservice really is and “how our industry affects our health,” Sullivan said.

“It’s like, here we are in the produce industry, but do we practice what we preach? Do we consume the fruits and vegetables that we’re encouraging everybody else to?” Sullivan said.

Dachman began his career at his father’s produce distribution company, Perry Produce Co., in Denver, and they later opened foodservice broadliner Westman Commission Co., a Kraft company.

He was president of FreshPoint Operating Cos. in several cities. When Sysco acquired FreshPoint in 2000, he was appointed senior vice president of the western region and later promoted to vice president of produce.

In 2010, The Packer named Dachman as its Foodservice Achievement Award recipient. He was the inaugural recipient of the Produce Marketing Association Center for Growing Talent’s Jay Pack Cultivating Our Future Award in 2018.

But Dachman isn’t taking it easy since retiring from Sysco two months ago.

He’s now the CEO for Brighter Bites, a nonprofit that focuses on feeding under-privileged elementary school children fresh produce.

“I will be able to continue working with my colleagues in the produce industry, but in a way that enriches underserved communities around the country. Who could ask for a better job?” Dachman said in a July 15 article in The Packer.

Lastly, there’s the NEPC expo. The exhibit hall opens 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., highlighting the products and services of suppliers of produce and floral.

Floral

At 1 p.m., there’s a special lunch for floral professionals, led by Becky Roberts, director of floral, new initiatives and volunteer leadership at the Produce Marketing Association .

“She’s on the cutting edge of what’s coming in the floral world,” Sullivan said.

“The luncheon is a way to give some value back to floral segment of the show. There’s so much that pertains to produce. We did it last year for the first time, and I really feel like it’s been well-received — proven with the doubling this year.”

Some stores have the same buyers for both floral and produce, and expo planners thought there was some crossover, she said.

“To be honest with you, it just beautifies the show. The floral exhibitors, like the produce exhibitors, they go all out, put time and effort into a great display.”

Attendees can expect a growing list of buyers from large regional retailers and foodservice, as well as independent stores.

Otherwise, the show is over by 4. Other years, the expo has involved more days and events, and sometimes local field trips. But people like it simple, Sullivan said.

“A lot of the feedback we get is that people like that it’s a short event, so we stopped trying to stretch it out,” she said.

Related news:

Career Pathways students to gain insider opportunities at NEPC Expo

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:36 GMT

Your life could change forever if you’re a college student chosen to attend the New England Produce Council ’s Expo Sept. 18-19.

That’s not an exaggeration, organizers say. At least seven students selected for the Career Pathways program will have some very viable opportunities.

“Students who’ve gone through this program have been employed by the people they met,” said Laura Sullivan, NEPC executive director.

The program is part of the Produce Marketing Association ’s charitable arm, the Center for Growing Talent, which has a mission to build student awareness about careers in the fresh produce and floral industry, said Alicia Calhoun, center vice president of talent portfolio.

The center operates 11 Career Pathway programs each year across the globe, sending faculty and students to either PMA or allied-industry conferences, with a mission to attract, develop and retain talent for the industry.

At each conference, students reap rewards three ways:

Integration among the professionals at conference events to provide a broad scope of the industry;
A customized program with a career ambassador for a more personal, hands-on feel to delve deeper into the produce industry; and
An off-site industry tour to see how at least one piece of the supply chain operates and enable more questions in a smaller setting.

These experiences can spur ideas on how their school, job or volunteer experience can translate into their first post-grad job, Calhoun said.

One key highlight is matching each student with a career ambassador from the industry.

“A lot of times, they’ll think the produce industry is just about farmers, and that’s not what they want to do. With this program, they learn more of the business side, industry standards, food safety, marketing,” Calhoun said.

“It’s having someone literally walking the expo floor with them, introducing them to industry members and companies and sharing the many different pieces of the supply chain.”

Building awareness about these careers opportunities is a team effort, said Barbara Hochman, program manager for Center for Growing Talent, mentioning Chesire, Conn.-based Coast to Coast Produce ’s continued financial support.

“Many thanks to NEPC and our industry volunteers who, as a way of giving back, share their passion and insights, creating excitement among the students about joining our industry,” Hochman said.

The Career Pathways program has partnered with NEPC since 2009.

When the overall program began in 2004, people may not have been talking about food safety and other challenges the industry faces today, Calhoun said. Students didn’t have many produce-focused classes in their universities, so their program had to start with the basics, she said.

“What students are learning in college since then is very different,” Calhoun said. “We’ve had to change their programming to meet their needs in 2019, so we’re not boring them and telling them what they already know.”

The seven confirmed students at NEPC are majoring in degrees such as agriculture business, agriculture sciences, international business and supply chains at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., Saint Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish, Maine, and University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

“The program just opens their eyes to the globalness of this industry and the areas of opportunity that they’ve never thought of before,” Calhoun said.

Related news:

Steve Lutz to lead session at NEPC

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:36 GMT

Industry notable Steve Lutz will be a speaker at the New England Produce Council’s Produce, Floral & Food Service Expo 2019.

Senior vice president of insights and innovation for Category Partners , Lutz will lead a session 3-4 p.m. Sept. 18, according to the council’s expo event schedule. The expo is Sept. 18-19 at Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

Lutz’s background includes product and brand development, consumer and trade research, strategic communications, retail category management and analysis, packaging development, and promotional analysis, according to the event summary.

Lutz’s brand clients have included companies in nearly every segment of fresh foods including produce, meat, deli, and bakery organizations covering almost any fresh product found in a supermarket.

Before joining Category Partners, Lutz was vice president of member engagement for the Produce Marketing Association and chief strategist and vice president of marketing for CMI Orchards in Wenatchee, Wash.

Lutz was executive vice president of Chicago-based consumer research and data analytics research firm, Perishables Group .

Prior to that, Lutz was president and CEO of the Washington Apple Commission.

Steve has served on the board of directors of the Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Produce Association .

Related news:

Rich Dachman pushes profit and purpose through foodservice and health

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:19:33 GMT

BOSTON — Rich Dachman had two goals at the keynote speech he presented at the New England Produce Council ’s 20th anniversary Produce, Floral and Foodservice Expo.

He wanted to explain how to get more foodservice business and how to improve the health of the world.

“I love the business. It’s a ‘Saturday Night Live’ crowd in here, and it’s been good to me,” Dachman told the crowd at the Sept. 18-19 expo in Boston. “But I always knew there was some higher calling other than profit.”

His two discussion topics directly correlate with his career. Dachman was senior vice president of produce for about 12 of the almost 19 years he worked for Sysco Corp . After he retired, he became CEO of Houston-based Brighter Bites.

The nonprofit organization feeds underprivileged elementary school children fresh produce, providing tools for healthier habits that spread to their families and schools.

Foodservice

Foodservice has challenges different from retail.

“If you can understand this, you might be better able to penetrate the business,” Dachman said.

First, it’s important to understand the foodservice distributor categories: broadliners such as Sysco with its full line; captured such as Martin Brower with McDonalds as its proprietary customer; specialty suppliers such as Hardie’s Fresh Foods ; and wholesaler/retail, like D’Arrigo Bros. of New York and Costco.

Then, there are foodservice operators, ranging from quick-service restaurants to fast casual, family dining, local chains and independents.

Big customers for foodservice business are cruise lines and hotels, management companies for colleges and universities, and kindergarten-12th grade school systems.

It’s a complex system, in which supply and logistics lines constantly cross before reaching a distributor.

“I used to say, I think there are 17 ways to screw it up,” Dachman said. “Nobody understands the economics of the produce business because it’s the exact opposite of everything else you do in your life. The more you pay, the worse the quality.”

The price goes up because the yield is down, which is usually because of weather, and growers will put whatever they can in a box, he said.

“Customers, they’ll say, ‘I don’t understand, I’m paying $40. At least it could be good.’ And you’re like, ‘Well, it will be good when it’s $12,’” Dachman said as the crowd laughed.

There are few acceptable excuses for lower-quality or missing products in foodservice.

“We can’t give an excuse to a restaurant that they can’t give their patrons,” he said. For example, diners expect to eat the Caesar salad on the menu, despite a romaine distributor’s late delivery.

Still, operators like and need fresh fruits and vegetables because they’re great flavor enhancers, they’re on-trend for health-conscious diners who want transparency, they’re more economical than protein, and they can be promoted as locally grown, Dachman said.

As far as a distributor’s expectations, “quality and food safety are an entry card to do business,” he said. They expect a consistent, dependable supply, good communication, sales support, competitive pricing, innovation and long-term thinking, not transactional.

Food is medicine

Switching gears, Dachman said he fully backs using the industry to help the world.

“We are the pharmacists of the future,” he said. “We have the product. We have the solution.”

The produce industry is selling something that can reduce obesity and childhood diabetes, yet there is not enough advertising, social-media influence or central effort at gaining this exposure, Dachman said.

The snack industry sells product that is unhealthy, convenient, delicious and consistent with the help of big advertising dollars and social-influencing power.

“The snack industry is kicking the produce industry’s butt. We see each other as competition, peaches versus plums, but our competition is the snack industry,” he said.

Dachman believes everyone in the industry has a responsibility in this area.

“I’m pissed off about it, and I’m part of the solution. The health of our country, specifically our children, is not looking very good,” Dachman said, providing these statistics:

10% of the U.S. population has poor access to fresh food;
Less than half of U.S. children eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables;
Three out of 10 children are considered obese and have a chance of developing diabetes;
98% of the 10 food-related ads that children watch daily involve food with high sugar or sodium content;
Latino children see 49% more sugary food ads on Spanish TV compared to their caucasian counterparts; and
30% of children ages 2 and 3 don’t eat vegetables.

This is where solutions such as Brighter Bites come into play.

Funded by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and sponsors including Walmart, the program provides bags of groceries to school families for three eight-week periods, to not only feed people with less fresh-food access, but to teach them how to eat. Besides living in food deserts with little access to fresh produce, many people live in food swamps, where unhealthy food is too prevalent.

Studies of the program have showed that scratch-cooking at home doubled for Brighter Bites families, he said.

“The big engine that makes this feasible is the giant amount of surplus produce,” Dachman said.

After two years, the average family consumes 19 additional servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a week.

“There is profit with this. That translates to over $6 million dollars in produce sales. Bottom line, we’re creating consumers that didn’t exist before,” Dachman said.

He challenged everyone in the industry to look at what they eat, what they serve at their companies and if they let employees take home boxes of their produce.

“Are you walking the walk? You’ve got to do something,” he said. “How do you expect to sell something that you don’t even live?”

Related news:

US Cranberries First Casualty of Trade War

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:05:06 GMT

(Bloomberg) --

The American cranberry industry is one of the biggest losers so far in the escalating trade dispute between the European Union and the U.S.

Imports of the red fruit from the U.S. were on the list of goods targeted last week by the EU for a 25 percent levy in retaliation against American tariffs on steel and aluminum. The U.S. exports about 95 million pounds of cranberries to the bloc each year, according to Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers. That’s more than any other destination, and accounts for about 12 percent of domestic production.

“This tariff would significantly hinder our ability to compete in these markets,” Lochner said in an interview.

Cranberries are among a basket of all-American goods -- from peanut butter to bourbon whiskey and Harley Davidson motorbikes -- singled out by the EU. The fruit is synonymous with Thanksgiving Dinner, but it’s also a U.S. agricultural success story. The country is the world’s largest producer, with output up 20 percent since 2010. The industry has promoted dry fruit in beverages, and exports have jumped 48 percent in the last six years, in part because of increased sales to China.

Yet cranberries remain a niche market, with only about 1,200 growers. In 2016, the harvest by farmers was valued at $292.3 million while the country’s exports of fresh cranberries, juice, sauces and dried and frozen products was estimated at $340 million. For comparison, total U.S. agricultural exports were $135 billion that year.

U.S. corn and soybean farmers are concerned about what could happen if President Donald Trump withdraws from the North American Free Trade Agreement, or if China targets agricultural commodities in retaliation for the tariffs on metals. But so far, those two major crops have escaped largely unscathed.

“Cranberries are a small segment of U.S. agriculture,” said Terry Humfeld, executive director at the Cranberry Institute, a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 to promote cranberry growers and the industry. “But for our little industry to be impacted does not make any sense. We are concerned.”

The timing of the trade tariffs comes as the cranberry industry grapples with a surplus. Last year it voted to dispose of some supply in order to balance it with demand. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the marketing order last month. The industry is recommending growers reduce output 25 percent this year, a plan not used since 2001.

“We hope that all parties involved will reach an agreement to continue to allow U.S. cranberry products into the EU,” Humfeld said. “This is probably an uphill battle we will have to wage.”

Copyright 2018, Bloomberg News

NEPC’s 20th expo draws regional, national and international crowd

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:32 GMT

BOSTON — Produce professionals from near and far delved into the relationship business at the New England Produce Council ’s Produce, Floral and Foodservice Expo, celebrating its 20th anniversary.

“It’s more than a regional show for us suppliers,” said LeighAnne Thomsen, account manager for Calavo , Santa Paula, Calif. “I sell only avocados, and New England is a high-consumption market for us, and we really value our customers here.”

An evening networking party at the Prudential Tower’s Top of the Hub on Sept. 18, the first day of the two-day event, followed an education session led by Steve Lutz, vice president of insights and innovation at Category Partners , Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The next morning began with a keynote breakfast led by Rich Dachman, recently retired vice president of produce for Sysco Corp. and CEO of Houston-based Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization feeding underprivileged elementary school children fresh produce.

During the trade show, Theresa Nolan did a drawing at her booth on behalf of the Nolan Network, which is restarting its N4Ten Challenge in February. The challenge, sponsored by the NEPC and Produce Buzz, encourages people to eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily and this time, raises money for The Greater Boston Food Bank.

Several hours into the trade show, NEPC executive director Laura Sullivan and NEPC board president Anthony Sattler of C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. , Hatfield, Mass., assessed the show’s success.

All 160 expo booth spaces sold out, Sattler said, and the 21 floral booths were twice as many as they had in 2018. Plus, there was a standing-room-only floral luncheon with Produce Marketing Association ’s floral expert, Becky Roberts, as keynote speaker.

“There’s a lot of innovation within specific categories,” Sattler said.

Along one aisle, harvest manager Thor Arnell explained the aquaponics system that creates a closed circuit of production for Lisbon, Maine-based Springworks Farms, a USDA-certified organic lettuce grower and Blue Nile fish farm. The fish waste fertilizes the lettuce, and the plants clean the water, which is cycled back into the fish tanks.

“It brings to people who’d typically buy lettuce that comes from California a locality they couldn’t get otherwise year round,” Arnell said.

Melon 1 ’s director of new business development, Rachel Syngo, talked to people who paused to see the company’s carved watermelons, which drew attention to the Punta Gorda, Fla.-based, grower-packer-shipper.

“We do a ton of business in New England. That’s why we do this show. It’s good to put a face to a name, shake a hand,” Syngo said.

Rodrigo Bedoya, CEO and cofounder of Ipoki Produce , came from Peru for the show with Ipoki director and cofounder Janos Kadar. They sell organic fresh Peruvian ginger through the importing business of Ipoki based in Surfside, Fla., and their Peruvian export company La Grama.

“We direct distribute in New England and Philadelphia, and have a wholesale distributor in Los Angeles,” Bedoya said.

Anyone who has business in the New England region can benefit from the NEPC expo, Sullivan said.

“You will see every buyer in New England in one day and get your product and some facetime with the decision makers for the New England market,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan also said she was grateful for the Produce Marketing Association’s other partnership, the Career Pathways mentorship program, which had college students roaming the expo with their ambassadors to introduce them to important people in the business.

Eric Frechette, president of Taste of the North, in Levis, Quebec, said he came to the expo because “we sell to the U.S.”

Frechette’s sales team represents several growers of hydroponic, field-grown and organic tomatoes, berries, cucumbers, shallots, onions and garlic grown across Quebec.

Attendees enjoy the relaxed vibe of NEPC’s annual event, where they have time to connect on a deeper level with others, thereby strengthening relationships.

“Come from your specific region, whether it’s the Southeast, Midwest, California. See what we’re doing up here,” Sattler said.

Related news:

Steve Lutz: New products can drive sales, if not volume

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:40:54 GMT

BOSTON — The foundations of commodity business are crumbling, Steve Lutz told a packed room at the New England Produce Council ’s Produce, Floral and Foodservice Expo in Boston.

“Those foundations that built stores, built commodities, over many, many years are under attack from new product introductions,” said Lutz, vice president of insights and innovation at Category Partners, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Until early August, Lutz was the vice president of member engagement at the Produce Marketing Association. Before that, he was chief strategist and vice president of marketing for CMI Orchards and held leadership roles at Washington Apple Commission and Perishables Group, which later became Nielsen Perishables Group.

The NEPC event was Sept. 18-19.

The educational session Lutz led at the 20th anniversary expo focused on how product innovations are disrupting the dominance of the produce industry’s long-held commodity framework.

Much of his information came from a Category Partners Analysis with data from Nielsen, Total U.S. Grocery Scan, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.

“At every level, we’re competing with new products and new formats. It’s crazy,” he said. Most notably, Honeycrisp and other branded apples are changing the category. The same goes for Cotton Candy grapes and the rise of mandarins/clementines in the citrus world.

Whether the retailer is focused on discount or high-end shoppers, there’s a dilemma with new items, Lutz said.

Driving the most volume, the commodity produces the vast majority of volume dollars for these categories, he said.

“But it’s ultimately the niches and segments that are driving consumer loyalty,” he said. “They’re driving incremental transactions — people to buy more — and in many cases, they’re getting the disproportionate share of the actual growth for the retailer and the producer in the segments where they’re competing.”

Volume sales may not rise with product innovations, but incremental dollars do rise, he said.

Lutz related this dilemma to what he called the Starbucks Effect: Once a consumer makes a new purchase decision and is happy with it, there’s no going back. It becomes almost permanent, like the decision to buy premium coffee.

There’s also the Amazon Effect, which has taught consumers they can, and should, be able to get anything they want at any time.

“We know that consumers are absolutely shopping differently. It doesn’t matter if it’s the category,” Lutz said. “It might be the store. It might be online.

“Product introductions are here to stay, and that will make our life challenging, and really the opportunity to grow the dollars is doing a better job for all of us,” he said. “How do we manage that mix of products and optimize it in a way that drives the most dollars?”

Related news:

Boston: A tale of two markets

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:36 GMT

BOSTON — To get familiar with the Boston area fresh produce market, you have to visit the two centers of activity, side-by-side in Chelsea and Everett, both nestled near Boston.

The Packer’s Northeast editor, Amy Sowder, tours both the Boston Market Terminal and the larger New England Produce Center, meeting several salesmen, wholesalers, distributors, packers and account managers.

Interviews include:

Fernando Aguiar of Naturipe Farms
Jim Praski of U.S. Department of Agriculture Market News
Stephen J. Condakes of Peter Condakes Co.

They share what’s been happening this past year and what trends and challenges they expect in the near future. Check it out.

Also, look for a few features in the next issue of The Packer with even more in-depth coverage and photos.

Related news:

NEPC cancels event over coronavirus concerns

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:11:46 GMT

The New England Produce Council , Burlington, Mass., has postponed a dinner meeting event.

The March 18 event is canceled “due to heightened concern regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on travel restrictions,” according to an e-mail sent to NEPC members March 6.

The council’s board of directors, together with event sponsor Dole Food Co., decided to reschedule this event, but a new date hasn’t been set yet.

For more information, call 781-273-0444, e-mail nepc2@rcn.com or visit https://www.newenglandproducecouncil.com.

Related news:

Boston Market Terminal closes for good

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:36:25 GMT

After more than half a century filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, the Boston Market Terminal’s docks, platforms, bays and aisles are now hollowed out.

No one is shouting or laughing amid the typical organized chaos. Yellow construction trucks, rather than white reefer trucks, are tearing up gravel outside.

Big change is afoot.

The Davis Cos., a national real estate developer, bought the place, 90% of which was owned by the Piazza family, Condakes family and DiMare family, and 10% by minority stockholders.

Community-Suffolk Inc. ’s Steven Piazza and his brothers were the last to uproot themselves from their 30,000 square feet of operating space at the Everett, Mass., institution, in early 2021 — a year stamped by so much change already.

“When you’ve been operating in a certain fashion in the same place for years that you owned, you get used to doing things in a certain way,” said Piazza, managing partner. “It was a big change, and change is hard the older you get. It’s forcing us to get modernized and more efficient. Once we work out the kinks, I think it will be better.”

Their fourth-generation family wholesale produce company was also one of the first to plant themselves at the 110,000-square-foot rail and truck terminal on almost 18 acres of land abutting the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, both just outside Boston.

“We were one of the first ones in and the last ones out. I’ve been here since I was 14 myself. I unloaded potato freight cars back then,” Piazza said.

Since the developer’s $28.5 million purchase, announced December 2019 in the Chelsea Record , the terminal’s six wholesalers and other businesses and organizations have closed for good or scattered to other facilities nearby.

The property may be redeveloped into an Amazon distribution center, Piazza said.

For now, the warehouses are devoid of the hum of daily wholesale produce business.

American Fruit Distributors went out of business, Piazza said.

Community-Suffolk’s citrus operations are at the New England Produce Center and its vegetable operations are at 95 Market St., Chelsea, “which is literally 500 feet from the front gate of the market terminal,” Piazza said.

Solo Produce is renting a place next to them, he said. New England Banana Co. merged its ripening and wholesale operations in an offsite warehouse it already owned.

James Praski, Massachusetts officer-in-charge for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crops Market News, has transitioned his training and reporting headquarters to the trailers the developer set up a short walk from the New England Produce Center.

The USDA’s lease at the terminal lasts until August 2023, he said.

“It was a good run,” Praski said about the market terminal. “People made a tremendous living being in this business in that time frame, and we’re all blessed and very lucky to have an opportunity in that market and service the public the way we did.”

Before Praski’s more than a dozen years with the USDA, he was a produce manager and new-store merchandiser of Almacs Supermarkets in Rhode Island for 25 years.

Terminal business was fading over the past several years as retail chains built their own warehouses and hired their own buyers to deal directly with distributors, growers and shippers. In reaction, terminal markets such as the Boston market shifted toward more foodservice business, Praski said.

“But with this COVID the last year now, the terminals, to survive, have had to move back to retail. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t,” Praski said. “It is a power struggle, and it will be a power struggle for a while, and the strong businesses will survive, and those that don’t have the young kids coming in won’t.”

The past five years have seen a lot of consolidation, and then the pandemic hit this restaurant-foodie haven region of New England, Piazza said.

But Massachusetts has reopened its restaurants for indoor dining, so it looks like the region’s economy is reawakening.

Piazza’s niece started working for the family business, and they’re updating the new 12,000-square-foot facility’s warehouses, coolers, platforms and offices to modern food safety standards.

“We’ve changed our business, selling tactics and product mix and are back to 75-80% of business; it’s definitely gradually improving,” Piazza said. “We’re hoping the pandemic shrinks and the business grows, and that we’re here for another generation.”

Little Leaf Farms raises $90 million to fully fund East Coast expansion

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 19:47:55 GMT

Devens, Mass.-based Little Leaf Farms has raised $90 million in debt and equity financing to build new East Coast sites to supply large retailers and foodservice providers.

Equilibrium Capital led the latest funding round with Coppermine Capital, joining founding investor Bill Helman and Pilot House Associates, according to a news release. Bank of America has also committed more than $20 million, with another $20 million planned.

“After opening our third greenhouse in Massachusetts last summer amid the pandemic, we have proven that we can bring the company to scale unlike any other,” founder-CEO Paul Sellew said in the release.

“We continue to have record sales every week, and we only see that continuing.”

The company doubled its retail sales to $38 million from 2019, and its lettuce is in more than 2,500 East Coast stores, according to the release.

The controlled environment agriculture sector’s rapid expansion highlights the need to deploy advanced farming technologies and use resources more sustainably.

“Creating local, year-round food economies just makes sense,” Sellew said in the release.

With 10 acres of greenhouses in Massachusetts, Little Leaf Farms produces more than 2 million boxes of lettuce each month. Last fall, it extended delivery and sales into New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“We believe in the company’s environmentally and socially responsible mission as they expand into new markets on the East Coast,” Randy Mitchell, a senior vice president of global commercial banking at Bank of America, said in the release.

Boston distributors cope with inflation

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:35:59 GMT

Like other produce suppliers, Boston-area companies have felt the impact of inflation. Freight costs to Boston from California are up 20% to 25%, said Steven Piazza, managing partner at Chelsea, Mass.-based Community-Suffolk Inc.

The cost of some container business involving Israeli carrots also has risen 20% to 25% compared to two years ago. “It’s unfortunate that a lot of that cost has to be borne by the consumer eventually,” Piazza said. “But everybody in the industry is in the same predicament, so it’s not unexpected.”

Peter John Condakes, president of Peter Condakes Co. Inc., based at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, said in early August, however, that the price of fuel is actually more reasonable than it was eight weeks ago. “It has dropped precipitously, but not to where we started from,” he said.

The price of gasoline skyrocketed from $3.18 per gallon to $5.20 per gallon, but by early August, had dropped to $4.40. Diesel fuel was listed at $5.48 per gallon on Aug. 10, down about 54 cents from a month earlier.

The cost of transportation also seemed to be falling slightly. Freight rates have adjusted down since last fall, but not to where they started from,” Condakes said

The cost of transporting a load of produce from California to Boston was $13,000 in November/December but had dropped to $10,500 by August, he said. But it still was higher than the pre-pandemic cost of around $8,000.

Produce packaging costs also were on the rise. The cost of boxes and clamshells for tomatoes was “outrageously higher,” Condakes said. Prices had risen 40% to 60%.

Produce prices are market driven and can’t automatically be raised to cover added costs, he said. But still, prices a supplier charges have to reflect some of the cost increase, he said, “or you won’t be here for very long.” Most customers are aware of the pricing challenges produce companies face because they face their own challenges, he said.

Business booms in Boston

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:26:10 GMT

Despite the challenges of inflation and the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, business overall seems to be strong for produce suppliers in the Boston area market.

Peter Condakes Co. Inc., based at the New England Produce Center, Chelsea, Mass., is having a “somewhat better summer than last year” with tomatoes, its biggest-selling item, said President Peter John Condakes. “Tropicals are humming along, as well,” he said. Vegetable sales are even with last year, and fruit sales are down a bit.

The company is heavy into local vegetables, especially at this time of year. “We’ve been doing local since 1900 — basically since the company was founded,” Condakes said.

Peter Condakes Co. offers a full line of products, including squash, peppers and beans, he said, and sources from growing areas that include Connecticut and Rhode Island, as well as Massachusetts. The company has the same basic product line year-round but adds local apples as the season progresses.

Business also was on the rise at Chelsea-based Community-Suffolk Inc., said president Steven Piazza. “It’s been an up year for us,” he said. Product was tight for a lot of commodities, as was transportation, he said, “and that kept us very, very busy all summer.” The company’s key product line includes potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets, celery, broccoli, leaf lettuces, onions, squash and citrus. “We like to concentrate on the items that we are best at in quality and volume,” Piazza said. “We’re consistent with our supply, we’re consistent with our shippers.”

Business is pretty much back to pre-pandemic levels at J Bonafede & Sons at the New England Produce Center, said Gene Fabio, an owner and president. “COVID is definitely in our rearview mirror,” he said.

J Bonafede & Sons has a year-round concentration on tropical items, such as bananas, pineapples, mangoes, limes, papayas and avocados, Fabio said. The company also is increasing its emphasis on ethnic items, such as mangosteen, lychees and rambutan. A possible exception to the upward sales trend for some Boston companies may be the foodservice category. “For the most part, (foodservice business) has come back, but there are certain elements that haven’t come back 100%,” Fabio said. “Some things seem like they’ve changed for good.”

Some commissary business is off a bit because many office buildings have not returned to full capacity, he said. And hospitals still discourage public traffic. “If you go to downtown Boston, it’s not as busy as it was four years ago,” he said. He estimated that there are 20% fewer people on the streets.

Other companies reported pretty much a return to normal in their foodservice business. “Foodservice is doing pretty well right now,” Condakes said. Like Fabio, he said sales to office cafeterias have been slower to recover. “Company cafeterias have not come back,” Condakes said. “A lot of people aren’t back in the office yet.”

“Foodservice customers did a good job (during the pandemic) pivoting from servicing restaurants and got into government-supported distribution or home deliveries — like food boxes,” Condakes said.

Retail business picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since dropped a little, as retailers returned to buying direct from suppliers, he said.

“We helped a lot of retailers out when they had warehouse issues, due to illness or whatever,” he said.

The company scheduled a number of direct store deliveries during the pandemic, which it normally does not do.

Foodservice business dropped precipitously when restaurants were forced to shut down at the beginning of COVID-19, Piazza said.

“Unfortunately, we lost a lot of great restaurants in Boston and the surrounding area,” he said.
But many eateries have bounced back and capitalized on takeout food and outdoor seating, he said.

“After making it through the dry spell, the ones that did survive are financially sound and doing good business,” Piazza said. Foodservice sales at Community-Suffolk are back to pre-pandemic levels, he said.

They were down 30% for the first three or four months of the pandemic.

“We actually made up some of that volume that we lost to foodservice with the retail guys by continuing to have supply in our key product line,” he said.

“During COVID, when transportation and product was very tight, we were still being supplied by our very old relationships with our shippers.”

Morning Kiss Organic sees expanded melon program

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 21:33:33 GMT

Morning Kiss Organic has an expanded summer lineup of mini watermelons, cantaloupes, and honeydew melons.

Melon season runs May through early December, according to a news release from the Chelsea, Mass.-based brand. Morning Kiss Organic is the organic brand of Gold Bell, DiSilva Fruit and Arrowfarms .

This season’s crop will come primarily from Mexico and California, with a possibility of a small volume coming from the Southeast U.S. in June and July, the release said. Promotional opportunities are available.

“We are excited to grow our organic melon program this season,” Nelly Czajkowski of Morning Kiss Organic said in the release. “Our grower partners do a fantastic job growing high quality, flavorful melons.”

The release said the company offers just-in-time inventory management which reduces loss to product spoilage. Melons can be banded with organic tape upon request to guarantee the organic sale at checkout.

Top retailers in the Northeast by market share

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:42:35 GMT

Each year, The Shelby Report showcases valuable retail market share data. In the interactive map below, find each major market around the Northeast. Also, highlighted are the major cities in each market.

All markets are “labeled” or identified by their primary state (with metros or key cities). Percentages are estimates based on annualized sales, industry data, institutional research and store footprints. Shares are updated as market metrics dictate and retailers supply their store lists.*

Market shares are for chains, independents and/or the wholesalers (voluntary or cooperative) which supply them within each region’s distribution area, extending well beyond typical metros or CBSAs. Each market is defined by the sphere of distribution, not by a rigid geographic boundary.

Major cities in each market:

Connecticut/Massachusets/Vermont - Hartford, Springfield, Montpelier
East Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey - Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Scranton, Wilmington, Dover, Camden, Trenton
Maryland/DC/N. Virginia/Delaware - Baltimore, Washington, Arlington, Charlottesville, Georgetown
Massachusets/Rhode Island/New Hampshire/Maine - Boston, Providence, Manchester, Portland, Bangor
New York/ New Jersey - New York City, Newark
Upstate New York - Vermont - Albany, Syracuse, Burlington
Western New York - Northern Pennsylvania - Buffalo, Rochester
Western Pennsylvania -West Virginia-Maryland - Pittsburg, Erie, Morgantown

US Cranberries First Casualty of Trade War

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:12:08 GMT

(Bloomberg) -- The American cranberry industry is one of the biggest losers so far in the escalating trade dispute between the European Union and the U.S.

Imports of the red fruit from the U.S. were on the list of goods targeted last week by the EU for a 25 percent levy in retaliation against American tariffs on steel and aluminum. The U.S. exports about 95 million pounds of cranberries to the bloc each year, according to Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers. That’s more than any other destination, and accounts for about 12 percent of domestic production.

“This tariff would significantly hinder our ability to compete in these markets,” Lochner said in an interview.

Cranberries are among a basket of all-American goods -- from peanut butter to bourbon whiskey and Harley Davidson motorbikes -- singled out by the EU. The fruit is synonymous with Thanksgiving Dinner, but it’s also a U.S. agricultural success story. The country is the world’s largest producer, with output up 20 percent since 2010. The industry has promoted dry fruit in beverages, and exports have jumped 48 percent in the last six years, in part because of increased sales to China.

Yet cranberries remain a niche market, with only about 1,200 growers. In 2016, the harvest by farmers was valued at $292.3 million while the country’s exports of fresh cranberries, juice, sauces and dried and frozen products was estimated at $340 million. For comparison, total U.S. agricultural exports were $135 billion that year.

U.S. corn and soybean farmers are concerned about what could happen if President Donald Trump withdraws from the North American Free Trade Agreement, or if China targets agricultural commodities in retaliation for the tariffs on metals. But so far, those two major crops have escaped largely unscathed.

“Cranberries are a small segment of U.S. agriculture,” said Terry Humfeld, executive director at the Cranberry Institute, a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 to promote cranberry growers and the industry. “But for our little industry to be impacted does not make any sense. We are concerned.”

The timing of the trade tariffs comes as the cranberry industry grapples with a surplus. Last year it voted to dispose of some supply in order to balance it with demand. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the marketing order last month. The industry is recommending growers reduce output 25 percent this year, a plan not used since 2001.

“We hope that all parties involved will reach an agreement to continue to allow U.S. cranberry products into the EU,” Humfeld said. “This is probably an uphill battle we will have to wage.”

Copyright 2018, Bloomberg News

Concord Foods launches trending vegetable seasonings

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:42:19 GMT

Brockton, Mass.-based Concord Foods is launching three Fresh Success vegetable seasoning mixes.

The flavors — Garlic & Parmesan Sauce, Buffalo Cauliflower and Street Taco — are expected to hit the shelves July, according to a news release.

They were added to Concord’s line of 23 other seasonings to take advantage of summer trends.

The brand’s Buffalo Cauliflower mix capitalizes on the growing popularity of cauliflower , meatless appetizers and grain-free menu options. The popularity of cauliflower as a non-breaded veggie appetizer is expected to increase by 21.6%, according to Technomic. The Garlic & Parmesan Sauce can accompany zucchini noodles for a low-carb and grain-free dinner option, while the Street Taco mix can spice up fresh vegetables for a plant-based meal option, according to the release.

“Our team takes extreme pride in providing products that align with current food trends and encourage greater consumption of fresh produce,” Samantha McCaul, Concord Foods marketing manager, said in the release.

Concord’s new shipper will hold the brand’s guacamole mix, as well as the new Street Taco and Buffalo Cauliflower mixes, in a summer-themed display.

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Leaders review New England Organic Produce Conference

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:20:53 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — How did the inaugural New England Organic Produce Conference go?

Northeast editor Amy Sowder attended the event at Gillette Stadium, and as it closed down, she talked to leaders of the two organizations that created the first-of-its-kind event: Laura Sullivan, executive director of the New England Produce Council, and Matt Seeley, co-founder of the Organic Produce Network.

More coverage is to come, but in the meantime, check out this overview: Industry turns out for first New England Organic Produce Conference .

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