Like most things in life, the positives are accompanied by a few negatives.
At the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM), these issues can range from weighty to mundane.
First off, all of the market’s high-tech innovation didn’t come cheap. Merchants pay more than twice what they did at the old market. Not everyone could jump that hurdle, and while the old market housed about 40 merchants, the new market has 22.
In the case of Patterson Produce, which started in 2016, the best move was to enter into a joint venture with Ryeco, LLC. Both companies see it as a win-win in that Patterson can sell its pickles and other commodities on the Market and Ryeco has added space and product lines.
“It’s a great marriage,” says Filindo Colace, vice president of operations at Ryeco, LLC.
For longstanding merchant M. Levin & Company, Inc., the greatest challenge “is the need to expand both our product line and our distribution,” according to Mark Levin, CEO of the family-owned and operated business. “Volume, quality, and customer satisfaction are essential for growth.”
Steve Secamiglio of Colonial Produce, Inc., says his firm’s biggest obstacle is the competition within the market in terms of product, price, and people.
Concerning the latter, Secamiglio says, “It’s always hard to hold onto good workers.” Colonial Produce is also a relative newcomer to the Philly produce scene and has only been in business six of the seven years the PWPM has been open. “Every day can be a struggle,” he says, “but we remain optimistic.”
Dan Kane, general manager of the PWPM, notes that he and his staff try to stay on top of the many everyday issues merchants face in selling produce.
“The safety of all our market users is a top priority,” he says. “In this environment, there will be slippery floors and fast-moving jacks. We hold regular safety meetings to address merchant and customer concerns.”
“Internally, we added new signage throughout the Market as well as full dome safety mirrors,” Kane continues.
“Outside, we recently added speed tables— flatter and longer than a speed hump, to slow traffic around the perimeter of the market. These have definitely had a calming effect on traffic and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from customers as well as market personnel.”
This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.
