Although Peter John Condakes, president of Peter Condakes Company, Inc. on the BMT, notes ethnic produce has been a consistent trend for the past 30 years, Wilson has observed a “funny phenomenon” occurring. Despite the continued rise of Asian and Latino products at retail levels, he’s noticed younger generations becoming more open to purchasing foods that are traditionally rooted in the United States. “I’ve seen enormous growth still occurring, but I also see some of those customers who have been staunch users of ethnic products start to incorporate a combination of more traditional U.S. items,” Wilson explains, such as squash, zucchini, and beans.
Condakes notes that organics may garner plenty of attention with consumers, but they haven’t performed well at the terminal market. “Organics evolved in the last 15 to 20 years,” he says, but bypassed wholesalers, going direct to the retail and restaurant sector.
Richie Travers, co-owner of Travers Fruit Company, Inc. of the NEPC, agrees, acknowledging the retail side of the coin. “Everyone wants to compete with Whole Foods.” Of course, how much or how little Whole Foods will change with Amazon as a corporate parent remains to be seen.
Ups and Downs
In the early summer, Community-Suffolk, Inc. was mostly exporting carrots and cabbage to Canada, before the True North’s own crops came into harvest and availability. While Piazza says the company has been fortunate with a good supply for most everything it sources, every season has unexpected weather events that cause problems.
“Celery, broccoli, and lettuce went crazy for a while,” Piazza remarks, due to California’s torrential rains earlier in the year. “All the rain caused gaps in planting, which created gaps in supply and spiked the price.”
Although Wilson Farm is deeply involved in both wholesale and retail, the supplier and its employees still see themselves as “truly farmers,” with 500 acres in Litchfield, NH and the original farm (in operation since 1884) in Lexington, MA. Wilson says their crops change based on customer demand.
This year the grower expanded acreage for leeks and Brussels sprouts, but cut back on a few other commodities like zucchini, summer squash, and beans that weren’t selling as well previously.
Technologically Flexible
Business on the markets is all about being flexible and adapting to technology to meet customer needs. From simple to complex, merchants at the markets are keeping an eye on the future from eco-friendly upgrades to new venues for promoting and selling product.
Facility Changes
Both markets are steadily transforming physical space with a firm nod to sustainability and energy efficiency. At the BMT, merchants segregate the composting, recycling, and trash that the facility produces, according to Piazza. The market has also installed a pallet crusher to recycle material, which is then sold to a paper mill for fuel. Lights are changing too, from bulbs to high efficiency LEDs, and Piazza says wholesalers are “working with National Grid (Boston’s local electrical company) to evaluate motors in all the coolers.”
