Cancel OK

E Foods plans to expand its tomato label

e foods

E Foods, Inc. BB #:141185 Orlando, FL, offers tomatoes in its label in the Puerto Rico market, but it plans to expand it throughout the U.S.

Jeannie Smith, operations manager, said the produce distributor plans to offer tomatoes year-round in 2-, 3- and 4-packs.

She said the company, formerly called Orlando Tomato, has always been a leader in the tomato industry.

“We have a tremendous depth of knowledge in tomatoes,” Smith said. “All of our salesmen are veterans, and that helps.”

But she said E Foods, which is celebrating its 40th year in business next year, handles a wide range of fruits and vegetables, not just tomatoes.

Smith said the company keeps growing because of the partnerships it has formed.

“Our customers are like friends and family,” she said. “We’re leaders in customer service, and that keeps people coming back. A lot of companies say that, but 40 years later, here we are.”

This fall Smith will celebrate 25 years at the company, something she said she never expected, having studied fashion merchandising and marketing in college.

“I thought it would be transitional,” she said. “Emerson (Elliott, E Foods owner) liked my creative ideas. You need marketing, need to exhibit at the PMA, to make sure customers remember who you are.”

Her role at E Foods evolved from marketing to sales to operations to leadership as the needs arose, she said.

Twitter

Greg Johnson is the Director of Media Development for Blue Book Services.