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Picture Perfect Philly Market

Talking trends and trade
MS_Picture Perfect Philly

“The kind of work we do for our customers is highly specialized and changes from week to week, so we need equipment that is flexible and adaptable,” explains Vena, adding, “Even the design of our newest packaging equipment requires a surprising new skill set and training levels.”

A different spin on packaging comes from a grower-shipper located in Enon Valley, hours from the market and its merchants in eastern Pennsylvania.

FRESH FORUM
How does your business this year compare to last year?

Mark Levin, M. Levin & Company, Inc.
I see continued growth and interest in this market, and anticipate needing another one to two units to keep expanding our product line, to make sure customers get what they need.

John Vena, John Vena, Inc.
We’ve continued to grow across all departments. But we see so much opportunity, it’s kind of distracting. One of our goals for the coming months is to narrow our focus, just a bit, and to push resources into those activities that will bring the most success and still keep the needs of our customers in mind.

Tom Kovacevich, T.M. Kovacevich
We’ve expanded significantly since the move. We’re a 24-hour order picking operation with over 90 employees united with the primary focus on customer satisfaction. This TMK team is the reason the company has been able to grow; these dedicated individuals help each other and care for our suppliers and customers every day.

Chris Hoffman, Paterson Produce
We’re only months old and have seen tremendous growth due to the fact that we’re pretty unique in what we carry, which has given us a niche in the market.

Carolyn McQuiston, Dawsons Orchards, Inc.
Due to food safety regulations, I don’t consider adding anything different than what we already deal with. We’re installing a new packing line, mainly because of food safety—it’s a sizable investment for us.

Dawsons Orchards, Inc. grows apples, berries, and stone fruit and has been looking to expand sales with a new single-serve apple bag for convenience stores and airports, replacing individual fruit wrapped in plastic.

Carolyn McQuiston, company president, says the packaging is a “food safety solution, as many hands pass by the apples on display at convenience stores, which are meant to be eaten soon after purchase without being washed.”

The bag not only protects the fruit but provides grab-and-go convenience for busy shoppers. Better yet, the bag has room for logos and other consumer oriented information. For Dawsons, “We feel this is a way to diversify and stay in the game,” McQuiston says.

Although the new packaging is a step forward, getting it into retail chains and consumers’ shopping carts has proven a bit more difficult than planned. “Because we’re a smaller packer, we aren’t in the loop to package the club varieties, nor grow them,” she explains. Nevertheless, McQuiston is hopeful about the bag and its potential.

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