Thanksgiving has officially kicked off the holiday season, and distributors on New York's Hunts Point Produce Market in Bronx, N.Y., are gearing up for some jolly winter produce sales.
E. Armata
The holidays are a hectic time on the market because suppliers often must condense two weeks of business into one, says Mike Armata, buyer and salesman for E. Armata Inc.
Retailers like to be sure their shelves are filled for at least one-and-a-half to two weeks before a major holiday, he says.
“They want to see the flow so they can reorder the things they need to reorder,” Armata says.
But sales tend to taper off following the holiday. He expects the week following Thanksgiving to be “very, very slow.”
Many shoppers are changing their holiday traditions, he adds. Squashes and persimmons were some top-selling items this fall and, strangely enough, tomatoes were selling well for Thanksgiving.
“You don't ordinarily hear about [tomatoes] as a Thanksgiving item, but business is up on them,” he says.
Katzman Produce
No matter what fruit or vegetable you're looking for during this festive season, there's a good chance you'll find it at Katzman Produce.
The company sells a full line of more than 2,000 fresh fruits and vegetables, sourced from across the U.S. and 55 countries around the world, says Andy Smith, director of procurement.
“As we head into the winter months, we see more of a focus on hearty root vegetables and tubers, including potatoes, onions, carrots and sweetpotatoes,” he says.
You'll also find vegetables commonly used for holiday side dishes such as cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, greens and hard-shell squash.
Demand remains strong across several fruit categories as well, including berries, citrus and mangoes, he says.
“We service a wide range of customers throughout New York and the Northeast, from peddlers and small mom-and-pop shops to foodservice and independent retailers to big chain stores with their own distribution centers and more,” adds Stefanie Katzman, Katzman CEO.
Rubin Bros.
With the Thanksgiving rush over, customers will be gearing up for Christmas and New Year's celebrations, says Bert Bifulco, head salesman for Rubin Bros. Produce Corp.
Vegetables typically are big sellers during this time of year as consumers start cooking again and making more sophisticated dinners, unlike summertime, when packaged salads are more in vogue, he says.
Of the company's 180 or so items, celery, red and green leaf lettuce, kale, cello, loose and mini carrots, collard greens and Oriental yams are some of the biggest sellers at this time of year, he says.
Fruit isn't quite as popular except for a few items, such as pineapple, watermelon, limes and some cantaloupes and honeydews from Mexico.
Robert T. Cochran & Co.
Although Robert T. Cochran & Co. Inc. has found that consumers' fall and winter eating habits might have changed over the years, one thing remains consistent: their craving for apples and oranges.
“We're doing a ton of apples this year,” says Mike Cochran, president. “Now that the weather has gotten cooler, people are getting into them.”
Apples are coming in from all over,Cochran says, including New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
“Our list of apples is extensive,” he adds.
He estimates the company has about 100 different kinds of apples on hand, counting all the sizes and varieties.
Volume of oranges also is expected to skyrocket as offshore supplies wind down and California navels pick up, he says.
It's been a pretty good year for the company so far, in part because more employees are returning to their offices and visiting local dining establishments for lunch, Cochran says.
Foodservice Recovery
About 30% to 40% of the business at Robert T. Cochran & Co. is foodservice, says Cochran, adding that the COVID-19 slowdown was extreme.
Some restaurants were closed for months, he says, and some places, where proprietors were approaching retirement, closed their doors permanently.
Rents skyrocketed for eateries that eventually reopened.
“We had a ton of customers just go out of business,” Cochran says.
Foodservice business is not back to pre-COVID-19 levels for the company, but he says it is definitely is much better than it was a few years ago.
Rubin Bros. is seeing a resurgence in foodservice business, Bifulco says.
“It's coming back and getting stronger as time goes by. It's expensive to go out to a restaurant, but they're still doing business,” he says, adding that with both spouses in a household working, they often choose to go out to eat.
“Nobody cooks like they used to cook,” Bifulco says.
