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Snapshots of Today’s Industry

Buying, selling, and promoting produce in the City of Dreams
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On- and Off-Market
In this era of electronic communication, buyers still personally make their way to the LAWPM. Alan Pollack, president of Coosemans Los Angeles, Inc., which has been on the market since 1980, says, “Buyers still like to look at the product instead of purchasing f.o.b. [free on board]. A lot of ordering is formulaic, but many ethnic retailers, specialty chains like Whole Foods, Gelson’s, and Bristol Farms will physically come to the market.”

Partners Jesse Garcia and Matthew Clark set up shop at the LAWPM as the aptly named LA Produce to have access to the wholesalers, foodservice companies, and retailers drawn to the fresh food mecca. “It’s not just a numbers game where people simply take orders,” Clark says. “By being on the Market, we’re able to tap into the great relationships we’ve built with buyers as well as gain a feel for market trends. Also, by being on market our margins are better. It’s like selling out of a mall vs. a warehouse.”

Continues Clark: “Real estate prices around the LAWPM are about $400 per square foot (they were $80 not long ago). If you consider that in New York the price per square foot can be as high as $2000 to $3,000, [that’s a long] way to go in terms of higher property values. There’ll always be a need for a wholesale produce market and we’re optimistic about the future of the industry in Los Angeles.”

Near the LAWPM but not on it, Donald Souther, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Vision Produce Company, says, “The LAWPM is a vital link for growers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. A large majority of products that consumers purchase at retail touches the Market in some way or another. It’s an important gauge for the West Coast for pricing, availability, and trends.”

Francisco Clouthier, vice president of Maui Fresh International, LLC, praises the LAWPM’s prime location for putting his vendors and customers in the center of the produce universe—in one of the largest markets in the country.

“We have access to wholesalers with sources all over the world,” enthuses Clouthier. “We’re less than a two-day truck ride to British Columbia, less than one day from Mexico, and it’s just a few hours to our dock from the Mexico/Arizona border. We’re in easy proximity to Los Angeles International Airport and have access to major freeways to distribute all over the country.”

Coosemans LA Shipping, Inc., sister company to Coosemans Los Angeles, is a few miles south in Vernon. Jill Overdorf, formerly head of business and culinary development for Coosemans and now with Naturipe Farms, shared her favorite aspects of the market: “First, it’s the variety of product. Second, the strength of relationships. The people who buy and sell at the terminal market continue to work with verbal POs [purchase orders].

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