Maryland, the nucleus of the Mid-Atlantic coastal region, is a terrific barometer of the country’s wholesale produce trade. It is, without doubt, one of the nation’s most enticing markets with plenty of locally grown fruits and vegetables and extensive reach up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
Nearly a third of the state’s arable land is comprised of verdant fields of tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, sweet corn, snap beans, and watermelon along the shore of Chesapeake Bay, while the reaches of western Maryland boast rustling apple orchards.
Near Baltimore sits the Maryland Wholesale Produce Market (aka the ‘Jessup Market’) nestled at the center of a hustling, bustling web of fresh produce-driven commerce. Open to the public, the Jessup Market may be one of the most widely known ‘insider secrets’ of the region. Wholesale and retail shoppers agree the vast variety of fruits and vegetables available within the spacious 300-acre site is well worth a visit.
In addition to the Old Line State’s seasonal offerings, the Market’s location invites a never-ending stream of fruits and vegetables from throughout the East Coast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and eastern provinces of Canada. This includes Ohio sweet corn; New Jersey blueberries, apples, and strawberries; tomatoes from Virginia and West Virginia; Delaware potatoes and apples; Pennsylvania mushrooms, herbs, and cabbages; and greenhouse-grown tomatoes from Ontario.
This is just a sampling of the many seasonal favorites, and buyers are always seeking more. For Will Staples, director of sales and marketing at Lancaster Foods, LLC in Columbia, MD, one commodity tops the list: “I wish there was a larger availability of organic grapes during the winter months.”
Demand for a few basic staples, however, may be dropping off a little as more exotic items or organics take their place. Tony Vitrano, of the Tony Vitrano Company, says traditional favorites like potatoes and carrots are still selling, but they’re not enjoying the surging growth of the latest ‘trendy’ items like many greens or berries.
No matter what is sought, buyers—whether retailers, restaurant chefs, or local residents—know the Jessup Market is a one-stop shop recognized for its locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as an increasing variety of ethnic foods in bulk, packaged, or value-added forms.
Improvements: Inside & Out The Jessup Market, part of the Maryland Food Center and overseen by the Maryland Food Center Authority (MFCA), has upped its game in recent years to not only stay abreast of changes in the fresh produce industry, but to better its operations in an environmentally responsible manner.
Part of this eco-friendly stance includes improvements to the Jessup Market, both inside and out. According to Rose Harrell, deputy director, the MFCA completed the first of a two-phase $500,000 project, which included upgrading stairwell and warehouse emergency lighting, as well as replacing dilapidated manual doors with high-tech energy-efficient automatic doors—which were both necessary and much appreciated by market tenants.
Maryland, the nucleus of the Mid-Atlantic coastal region, is a terrific barometer of the country’s wholesale produce trade. It is, without doubt, one of the nation’s most enticing markets with plenty of locally grown fruits and vegetables and extensive reach up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
Nearly a third of the state’s arable land is comprised of verdant fields of tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, sweet corn, snap beans, and watermelon along the shore of Chesapeake Bay, while the reaches of western Maryland boast rustling apple orchards.
Near Baltimore sits the Maryland Wholesale Produce Market (aka the ‘Jessup Market’) nestled at the center of a hustling, bustling web of fresh produce-driven commerce. Open to the public, the Jessup Market may be one of the most widely known ‘insider secrets’ of the region. Wholesale and retail shoppers agree the vast variety of fruits and vegetables available within the spacious 300-acre site is well worth a visit.
In addition to the Old Line State’s seasonal offerings, the Market’s location invites a never-ending stream of fruits and vegetables from throughout the East Coast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and eastern provinces of Canada. This includes Ohio sweet corn; New Jersey blueberries, apples, and strawberries; tomatoes from Virginia and West Virginia; Delaware potatoes and apples; Pennsylvania mushrooms, herbs, and cabbages; and greenhouse-grown tomatoes from Ontario.
This is just a sampling of the many seasonal favorites, and buyers are always seeking more. For Will Staples, director of sales and marketing at Lancaster Foods, LLC in Columbia, MD, one commodity tops the list: “I wish there was a larger availability of organic grapes during the winter months.”
Demand for a few basic staples, however, may be dropping off a little as more exotic items or organics take their place. Tony Vitrano, of the Tony Vitrano Company, says traditional favorites like potatoes and carrots are still selling, but they’re not enjoying the surging growth of the latest ‘trendy’ items like many greens or berries.
No matter what is sought, buyers—whether retailers, restaurant chefs, or local residents—know the Jessup Market is a one-stop shop recognized for its locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as an increasing variety of ethnic foods in bulk, packaged, or value-added forms.
Improvements: Inside & Out The Jessup Market, part of the Maryland Food Center and overseen by the Maryland Food Center Authority (MFCA), has upped its game in recent years to not only stay abreast of changes in the fresh produce industry, but to better its operations in an environmentally responsible manner.
Part of this eco-friendly stance includes improvements to the Jessup Market, both inside and out. According to Rose Harrell, deputy director, the MFCA completed the first of a two-phase $500,000 project, which included upgrading stairwell and warehouse emergency lighting, as well as replacing dilapidated manual doors with high-tech energy-efficient automatic doors—which were both necessary and much appreciated by market tenants.
Other improvements include new cameras to monitor the premises and gather more information on market activities to help ensure food safety, and working with an engineering firm for an overhaul to the dock canopy. Only a year ago, the Jessup Market replaced the roof for the market buildings to the tune of $780,000.
There has also been movement towards enclosing the docks, a trend among older terminal markets nationwide, to update facilities for better cold chain management and food safety protocols. While enclosing the docks is viewed positively by many, the age of the buildings creates an obstacle. After reviewing their options in terms of both the actual price tag as well as the impact such work would have on the Market’s merchants and operations, market officials decided it was a no-go, at least for the time being.
MARKET STATS Maryland Wholesale Produce Market
The Maryland Wholesale Produce Market or Jessup Market is readily accessible to both buyers and sellers, retail and wholesale. It is nestled between routes 175 and 195, and serviced directly by the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. On a significant rail line, there’s easy access to international shipments coming through the Port of Philadelphia and air freight from Dulles International Airport in nearby Washington DC.
“Unfortunately, the cost to upgrade the building to current-day building codes,” Harrell explains, “is extremely costly when you’re talking about a 43-year-old building. At this time, the MFCA does not have plans to enclose the docks,” she concludes.
Environmental Mindfulness Another major effort by merchants and others at the Maryland Food Center is participation in the annual U.S. Food Waste Challenge each year, which ran from the end of March through June. The effort, begun in 2013, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to curb food waste at businesses and organizations throughout the United States and turn it into low or no-cost meals for families in need.
Participants in the Waste Challenge include not only national conglomerates and sports teams, but schools and universities, county governments, and an increasing number of food and produce businesses as well. The Philadelphia Flyers, Con Agra Foods, Chipotle restaurants, 7-Eleven, Costco, and several terminal markets make up the ranks.
In 2016, the Maryland Food Center Authority couldn’t quite catch its nearby rival, the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, which diverted 1.2 million pounds of food into better uses during the three-month challenge.
Another facet of the Waste Challenge is a roster of “U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions”—businesses and organizations that have committed to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030. Among the participants are Aramark, ConAgra Foods, Wegman’s, and Ahold USA.
Ahold USA, represented in Maryland by the Giant supermarket chain, continues to divert food to the Maryland Food Bank through multiple pickups each week. Another retailer, Whole Foods, has instituted waste reduction practices in Baltimore-area stores, with employees sorting unsold food into bins labeled compostable, recyclable, and landfill on a daily basis.
Changes: New & Old Maryland, and the Jessup Market in particular, have had to overcome some challenges, both new and old. One very specific challenge—the extremes of a mid-Atlantic coastal winter—continued to vex businesses up and down the East Coast this year. Several snowstorms hit the area early in the year, blanketing the region with snow and ice.
A January blizzard closed grocery stores and restaurants and dumped mountains of snow on the Jessup Market. Amazingly, within two days, the Mary-land Food Center was dug out and business was back in gear.
“We’re open 363 days a year, closing only for Easter and Christmas,” points out Lancaster’s Staples. “This past year was no different; we want our customers to always be able to count on us, and that means the proper planning and safety to fulfill orders in all conditions.”
Of course, weather in other areas—even across the country—can impact the Jessup Market too. A prime example was the rain and flooding on the West Coast. “Rain in California severely delayed shipping from that area,” comments Vitrano, “so we were selling lettuce for $60 a case, when it’s usually about $15 a case.”
Staples also mentioned the torrential downpours in California. “We weren’t affected by the weather too much,” he recalls, but the excessive rain in California did limit citrus sales in April and May.
The Market faces other difficulties, as well. In a city with more than its share of ups and down, Baltimore’s population has been declining and the economy is far from robust. The region doesn’t attract as many large companies or jobs as it once did, though city planners are trying to turn the tide.
A few recent measures are providing hope, such as new business ventures and jobs, with many of the latter driven by rising interest in solar energy. Though this may not seem directly tied to the local produce industry, it is a signal that Maryland is looking to the future and statewide growth. In a state where nearly one-third of its arable land is dedicated to growing produce, this should be good news for the industry.
Areas of Growth Despite any difficulties, there is still plenty of commerce and trending items. Like most other areas, consumers are looking for quick, healthy meals and better-for-you foods. “We’ve noticed continued growth in the fresh-cut departments,” agrees Staples, “with more and more customers looking for convenience items when shopping.”
Vitrano acknowledges the trend, but has seen fluctuating sales. “It seems like fresh-cut demand has slowed down a little on our end—it could just be because we’re on the terminal market.” The better news is there is also an uptick in Asian vegetables, which he says, “have picked up over the last year.”
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRODUCE MARKET MANAGERS
Rose Harrell is well known around the Maryland Wholesale Produce Market as the deputy director of the Maryland Food Center Authority, but she also holds another office: she is serving her third term as president of the National Association of Produce Market Managers (NAPMM).
“While the association was originally intended for wholesale produce market managers,” Harrell says, it has evolved over the years as the markets changed. With the addition of retail and/or farmers’ markets sections at many locations, the NAPMM’s ranks has expanded to over 110 members in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
So what does the NAPMM do for produce suppliers? Its official mission is twofold: “to provide resources, leadership development, and networking opportunities for permanent retail, wholesale, and public market professionals” and to help vendors succeed on “a local, regional, and national level.”
The NAPMM holds meetings each spring at a member market, which includes educational sessions and a tour of the host market. One of Harrell’s goals is “to revitalize the association and members by encouraging more involvement as well as opening communication between the board of directors and membership throughout the year, rather than just at annual meetings.”
Harrell too weighed in on the growing popularity of value-added selections and higher demand for ethnic and specialty items and the Center’s ability to capitalize on these trends. “Our Market businesses have become more diverse in supplying Asian fruits and vegetables.”
Staples concurs: “There’s been significant growth within this group over the past year as consumers are becoming more aware of the versatility of Asian vegetables.” He also believes demand for fresh-cut products could one day eclipse bulk or whole fruit or vegetable purchases altogether.
And while a number of vendors acknowledge the enduring popularity of tomatoes, some might be surprised that multicolored cherry tomatoes are at the top of the Market’s bestseller list. For Staples and Lancaster Foods, however, “Cauliflower and brussels sprouts have nudged ahead as the new darlings of the vegetable world.”
And have these ‘new darlings’ managed to eclipse even kale, the produce trendsetter for the last few years? Though kale sales are still good, Vitrano says the super vegetable has “probably leveled off a little bit on our end”—but says local chefs are the ones to ask about the ongoing kale phenomenon.
When asked whether consumers care more about the taste of their fruits and vegetables or the cost, Vitrano laughs. “It’s a question we ask every day—ultimately, taste is more important, but you have to find the right price or demand drops off,” he says.
“Recent trends have seen customers willing to spend a little more,” asserts Staples, who finds this is usually the case for organic fruits and vegetables. “Organic sales have continued to grow for us over the past seven years.”
Another facet of sales is the state’s branding program, Maryland’s Best, which is administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Items with the bright, colorful logo are promoted through media campaigns and point-of-sale displays, along with a wide variety of information regarding what, when, and where seasonal fruits and vegetables are available throughout the state. In addition, there are a few greenhouse-grown vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, and eggplant that are part of the branding program and available all year.
Concluding Thoughts In Maryland, like everywhere else in the industry, buyers and sellers are on the fence about whether politics will have a major impact on fresh produce.
“No impact has filtered down to us yet,” says Vitrano. “The immigration issue will always be a factor, because the entire industry is dependent on immigrant labor. If that changes, then it will impact us all.”
Staples is more concerned for those at the end of the supply chain. “Unfortunately, I see the end users being the most affected, with increased import taxes being passed along to consumers. The running joke is about customers thinking twice about ordering guacamole with their Chipotle meal, but this soon could be a reality.”
Images: George Rudy, Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
