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Picture Perfect Philly Market

Talking trends and trade
MS_Picture Perfect Philly

Paterson Produce, a newcomer to the Philly facility since December of last year, has hustled to quickly carve a niche for itself on the market. “We are unique in what we carry,” comments office manager Chris Hoffman, of the company’s extensive line of Central and South American fruits and vegetables.

Among the supplier’s more exotic offerings are banana leaves, chayote, malanga blanca, yellow and white name, cactus leaves, cactus pears, culantro (Mexican parsley) and yuca or cassava, which are interspersed with more common items such as peppers, radishes, lemons, and limes.

Hoffman says the company’s success lies in Philadelphia’s “diverse interests, restaurants, and supermarkets” and the experience and connections of general manager Jay Betancourt. Betancourt has extensive knowledge of the Latin American community from working in Miami, which has helped propel sales of Paterson’s specialty produce.

Thriving Import/Export Scene
Levin has seen the quantity of imports increase dramatically since the market’s reopening, particularly with the additional space.

“It’s an advantage to look for new items and listen closely to different cultures for what they want to see, but can’t find,” Levin explains. He’s seen staple items such as bananas, apples, potatoes, onions, and tropicals increase, in addition to niche Indian items and Jamaican produce.

Customer demand drives the new items that John Vena, Inc. continues to add to its import line, which has been a mainstay of the business for over 30 years. “Our customer base is hugely diversified across all ethnic and cultural segments, and they use a wide variety of fresh produce,” comments John Vena, company president.

“The volume on these items really picks up when we’re able to find consistent, steady suppliers,” Vena continues. A recent example is dragon fruit, which was a low-volume seasonal item until the company developed strong connections to Vietnam for imports and Florida for domestic supply. Since then, the program has seen steady volume and growth.

John Vena, Inc. also sources year-round from greenhouses in Belgium, Canada, Israel, and the Netherlands, for varieties of hot and sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh herbs. Although “some of our overseas partners have changed,” explains Vena, “the item list and countries with which we work have increased wonderfully.”

On the export side, T.M. Kovacevich’s Bermuda distribution has been humming along for two years, and continues to see solid growth. Shipments to Puerto Rico remain level, and Kovacevich says his customers there appreciate both the wide selection and quality of produce offerings available from the market.

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