Detroit continues to defy its past, surging forward with robust growth in the food and hospitality sector, including all things fresh. Demand for local and greenhouse-grown produce continues to climb—with more than 300 commodities produced in Michigan and greenhouse vegetables from nearby Leamington, Ontario.
Business has as much as tripled for some longstanding wholesalers in the industry. Join us for a tour of Detroit’s two markets to find out what’s hot and what’s not.
Accelerating Growth
“It’s definitely a new era in the city,” proclaims Anthony F. Del Bene, president of Del Bene Produce, Inc., a receiver and jobber at Detroit’s historic Eastern Market. With a dramatic rush of investment and new restaurants, shops, and arenas, the city’s turnaround has “happened quicker than I ever thought as far as transformation.”
More people, more food
Part and parcel of the ongoing rejuvenation is a surge in produce sales. “Things are popping like popcorn,” says Jack LoPiccolo, president of LoPiccolo Bros. Produce, Inc., who has seen spectacular growth, with volume rising between 15 and 25 percent. “With a flood of new restaurants opening after bankruptcy, it’s all turned around with an influx of money.”
He also mentions the former ‘brain drain’—where students from both the city and the state’s top colleges and universities were leaving the region after graduation—has slowed substantially. “Grads are now staying because there’s more opportunity,” observes LoPiccolo.
According to Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce numbers, ‘brain drain’ does seem to be a problem of the past: since 2011 the figures have dramatically shifted from an annual loss of 10,000 graduates to a yearly gain of 7,000 residents, with Detroit’s impressive growth to thank for the boost.
“Detroit is the hub of the highway,” says George Horkey, president and owner of Roscoe & Horkey Farms, Inc. “Everything that goes to the East Coast comes through Detroit; it’s an exciting city right now.”
He’s optimistic for continued growth and also cites the prior concern over losing students: “We had been losing population, and now it looks like we’re beginning to make gains.”
Steady growth
For Dominic Russo, buying and sales director for Rocky Produce, Inc., the city’s growth has translated to comfort and confidence, which he sees as key in the whole buying and selling circle of life. “We’re able to do more and sell more when consumers are willing to go out and spend.”
