Another tenant on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM), Paul Giordano & Sons, is legendary for carrying all types of berries, mainly strawberries from California.
“We take pride in our quality and service, and the Philly market has turned out to be way better than we predicted in that our produce maintains its freshness,” says Paul Giordano, Jr. “The unbroken cold chain along with ample and clean storage has been tremendous for our company.”
Like Giordano, Chip Weichec of Hunter Brothers, Inc., likes the way the market’s design takes care of the produce, allowing the merchants to take care of their customers.
“We’ve been in business since 1938 and hope to keep doing what we’re doing for a long time to come,” he shares. “Maintaining the cold chain helps us build stronger partnerships with customers and suppliers.”
Consistent quality not only earns trust but equates to satisfied customers and happy consumers—a significant advantage for those within the Philly supply chain.
Noting that the entire market is fully enclosed and refrigerated, Brian Kaleck of Kaleck Brothers, Inc., says that in addition to lengthening shelf life, the layout of the market provides a huge benefit to buyers.
“The best thing about this market is that it’s a mall style,” he says. “Customers have easy physical access to any store without having to cross streets like the old market.”
Mike Maxwell, president of Procacci Brothers, considers the PWPM a special place, what he terms as a “showplace to the world.”
The Procacci family empire began back in 1948, when brothers Joe and Mike Procacci started selling produce from their parents’ cellar. Today, it is one of the largest wholesale produce distributors in North America, handing several hundred commodities at one time.
Rita Nexzypor, daughter of Joe Procacci, along with maintenance engineer Bob Goodwin, created a beautiful space to showcase product.
Their PWPM units are wrapped with vivid murals to mimic roadside fruit stands in Tuscany. “Customers love the store’s ‘old world’ feeling,” says Nexzypor, “but what keeps them coming back is the premium produce, variety, and service.”
“Because this facility is so much more efficient than the old market,” says Todd Penza, salesman at Pinto Brothers, Inc., “it makes us more efficient and gives us time to better serve our clients.”
Pinto Brothers was bought in 1972 and is owned by the Penza and Lombardo families. With 32 employees, the wholesaler specializes in Eastern and Western vegetables and mangos, and recently expanded from three units to four, crediting the PWPM’s ideal conditions as spurring the company’s growth and success.
This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.
