After several years of planning, Abasto’s San Antonio Wholesale Produce Market plans to officially open for business this spring.
“The first phase that’s about to be finished consists of two buildings, each with 30 cold room equipped warehouse units, right at the front of the project facing Loop 410,” said Fernando Narvaez, sales director of McAllen, Texas-based Abasto Properties LLC.
Phase two is scheduled for 2016 and includes another 120 units, with cold room, freezer and dry storage. Designs include 3,100 square feet of main floor with cold room capacity for 156 pallets, or about seven truck loads of produce.
Each unit has an additional 900 square feet of office space on a second floor, plus 450 square feet of covered front dock with two access doors. “On the back of the warehouses are three dock-high doors and temperature controlled space for loading and unloading trucks,” Narvaez said.
“We designed the layout with cold-chain management in mind as well as warehouse certifications key to the produce industry.” Phase one of the market is about half full, Narvaez said. The market is planned to not only serve the San Antonio market, but also be a consolidation center for importers from Mexico and companies that plan to export to Mexico