“Chicago is a large city—and I mean the suburbs as well—and we have many ethnic groups that have special needs, from Hispanic to Italian to Polish,” says Nick Gaglione, CEO of Dietz & Kolodenko Company. “Each area is a little different, and the small chains like Mariano’s and other independent stores better fit the communities they’re in. They know just what kind of food they want in that community—for example, you don’t sell Asian food in a Hispanic community.”
Chicago International Produce Market Merchant Directory
Company/Phone/UnitAtom Banana, Inc.
(312) 226-4669 / 10-12Cee Bee Cartage
(312) 243-3205 / 21City Wide Produce Distributors, Inc.
(312) 666-6190 / 29-30Coosemans Chicago, Inc.
(312) 226-6972 / 13Dietz & Kolodenko Company
(312) 666-6320 / 24-25Evergreen International Inc.
(312) 421-6434 / 8-9Everyday Produce, Inc.
(773) 446-4930 / 14George J. Cornille & Sons, Inc.
(312) 226-1015 / 4J.L. Gonzalez Produce, Inc.
(312) 433-2335 / 1-7JAB Produce Company
(312) 226-7805 / 23Jack Keller Company
(312) 243-4019 / 21Jack Tuchten Produce
(312) 226-4536 / 31La Galera Produce, LLC
(773) 446-6161 / 26-27La Hortaliza Produce, Inc.
(773) 677-1025 / 13Mandolini Produce Company, Inc.
(312) 226-1690 / 28Michael J. Navilio & Son, Inc.
(312) 243-7515 / 26-27Olympic Wholesale Produce, Inc.
(312) 421-2889 / 15Original Chicago Produce Company
(773) 376-5454 / 22Panama Banana
(773) 446-1000 / 32-36Strube Celery & Vegetable Company
(312) 226-6888 / 16-20Tom Lange Company, Inc.
(773) 446-6899 / 33
“I think the diversity here has helped our market become more established, because we can bring in these specialty products for our customers to provide for their clientele,” Gonzalez comments. He says Pete’s Fresh Market, an independent market with nine stores in the Chicagoland area, specializes in meeting the needs of Chicago’s multicultural shoppers. “They cater to Chinese, Latino, and Indian customers, so they’re always looking for those special items.”
