Posts Tagged “Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market”
Possibly the most modern wholesale produce market in the U.S., the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market recently celebrated 10 years in business.
In 2011, the market opened the doors at 6700 Essington Ave., welcoming buyers to its fully enclosed, fully refrigerated 686,000-square-foot facility, according to a news release.
The market is home to 19 wholesale produce businesses that employ hundreds of people in both union and non-union positions and donate more than 2 million pounds of fresh produce to local charities every year.
“We are proud to pave the way as a leader in cold chain management, product safety, staging, loading, security and recycling,” market general manager Mark Smith said in the release. “In addition to establishing the highest global standards for distributing produce, our goal is to divert as much waste from the landfill as we possibly can. Through anaerobic digestion and other environmentally friendly practices, we’ve reduced our waste stream by about 80% and continue to focus on that last 20%.”
Three market business leaders weighed in on what the market means to them:
- Tracie Levin, general manager of M. Levin & Co. Inc.:
“We couldn’t have asked for a better facility to showcase our produce. The bright, clean (and of course ‘cool’) and spacious market that has become our home has been great for the merchants and all of the customers who shop at the PWPM.”
By the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
Philadelphia — The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM) was proud to accept an award for being the winning terminal market in the USDA’s Terminal Market U.S. Food Waste Challenge. Dan Kane, General Manager, and Christine Hofmann, Marketing Coordinator, accepted the award in Washington, DC , recently on behalf of the PWPM.
“We are honored to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for our efforts to reduce waste, said Sonny DiCrecchio, President & CEO of PWPM. “We are most proud of our donations to hunger-relief organizations throughout Philadelphia.”
Supporting the USDA Food Waste Challenge, the National Association of Produce Market Managers encouraged its membership to divert fruit and vegetables from the waste stream, either through recycling (composting/animal feed) or by donating produce to food rescue programs. The Challenge ran from March 29, 2016 through June 30, 2016 and was based on the number of businesses within the PWPM that participated. “We are fully committed to increasing our numbers next year,” said DiCrecchio. “We’re always reviewing our methods on how to reduce our footprint on the environment and donate wholesome produce to people in need.”
About the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market:
The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market is the world’s largest, fully enclosed, fully refrigerated wholesale produce market. Completed in 2011, the 686,000 square foot facility is ¼ mile long and provides customers with security, comfort, efficiency, and cold chain protection. The PWPM is made up of 22 fresh fruit and vegetable merchants who carry a full range of produce including local, ethnic, specialty and commodities. The Market is open to the public and serves all types produce buyers from the home cook to national supermarket chains from Florida to Canada.
Customers range from Florida to Canada. Most come from within a 150-mile radius of Philadelphia. PWPM receives and sells hundreds of truckloads of fresh produce on a weekly basis, leading to cumulative annual sales of one billion dollars.
Find out more at www.pwpm.net
by The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
Philadelphia — Everyone here agrees. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM) moved into its state-of-the art, fully enclosed, fully refrigerated facility, located at 6700 Essington Avenue. “It seems like yesterday,” says Sonny DiCrecchio, President/CEO. “We are proud to pave the way as a leader in terms of cold chain management, product safety, staging, loading, security, and recycling.”
During the birthday week, the Philly Wholesale Produce Market will host Mayor Kenney, several area Secretaries of Agriculture, port officials, and other dignitaries. We also plan a Food Truck Day, offering some of Philly’s best fare to our employees and customers.
It took 10 years of careful, thoughtful planning to create today’s PWPM, which is double the size of the old facility and establishes the highest global standards for distribution of premium produce. Employing hundreds of people in both union and non-union positions, the PWPM donates nearly two million pounds of produce to local charities every year.
“Our 5th birthday week is our way of thanking everyone who helped us achieve this milestone,” says DiCrecchio. “We look forward to many more years of service to our community, our employees, and our customers.”
The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market is the world’s largest, fully refrigerated wholesale produce market. Completed in 2011, our 700,000 square foot facility is fully enclosed, providing customers with security, comfort, efficiency, and an unbroken cold chain. We are open to the public and serve a range of produce buyers from the home cook to national supermarket chains. Because the PWPM is made up of 22 fresh fruit and vegetable merchants, buyers have the opportunity to compare products, brands, and price points.
PWPM is a wholesale produce market with 50 years of experience serving customers within a 500 mile radius providing high quality fresh produce and excellence in customer service. PWPM operates in a state of the art facility that provides customers with the freshest produce, in the most efficient manner at competitive prices. www.pwpm.net
by Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market
Philadelphia — Today marks four years since The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM) moved into its state-of-the art home at 6700 Essington Avenue. “Our facility is unsurpassed in cold chain management, product safety, comfort, security, staging, loading, and recycling,” said Sonny DiCrecchio, President/CEO. “We are proud to be the largest enclosed, fully-refrigerated wholesale produce marketplace in the world.”
Philadelphia has a rich history in the produce business. Tracing its roots back to colonial times, merchants once occupied vibrant Dock Street and later the Food Distribution Center, a modern concept in 1959. By 2000, it was evident that more space and upgraded facilities were needed in order to provide customers with the standards they came to expect.
After a decade of intense planning for a facility that has no equal, today’s PWPM is a modern marvel that establishes the highest global standards for distribution of premium produce. Nearly 700,000 square feet, the PWPM employs over 1,000 people in both union and non-union positions and donates over two million pounds of produce to local charities every year. Made up of 24 fresh fruit and vegetable merchants, buyers have the opportunity to compare products, brands, and price points.
“We wanted to share this treasure with as many people as possible,” said DiCrecchio. “That’s why we chose to open our doors to the public.”
Find out more about the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market at www.pwpm.net.
Since opening three years ago, the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market has been touting itself as the world’s largest, fully-refrigerated wholesale produce marketplace.
With 700,000 square feet of space, this modern facility has indoor, consistently chilled facilities keeping customers and produce safe from the elements, while maximizing shelf life and ensuring freshness and crispness. It is a quarter-mile-long, multi-story, skylit, fully refrigerated fruit and vegetable warehouse.
The main benefits of being in the new produce market is not having to break the cold chain, which is very important in maintaining the quality for fresh produce. The Philly market also is ahead of the curve as far as keeping up with new standards and government sanctioned food safety regulations.
This prevents product that is being staged for orders from sitting in the 100 degree heat during the summertime in Philadelphia. This past winter was a true test of the market’s value to the merchants and to their customers. Business was conducted in a clean, safe temperature controlled environment, while some other wholesale terminal markets dealt with freezing temps and blowing snow.
The lay out of the market also makes it easier for refrigerated big rigs to maneuver, with less delays. The market now employs 1,500, up from 1,100 at the former Philadelphia Regional Produce Terminal on Galloway Street in South Philly. It is now located on Essington Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.
On the other hand, just 25 produce firms now operate in the new center, down from 40 at the old terminal, though surviving firms have expanded to fill the available space.
by Joseph N. DiStefano, Philly.com
Mexican ocean shippers met with South Jersey vegetable growers and Philadelphia-area port executives at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market on Essington Ave. in Southwest Philly recently to try and convince shipping lines to establish a regular sea import-export service between the Delaware River ports and Mexico’s chief Atlantic port of Vera Cruz.
The four-day Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic route would compete with deregulated North American trucking lines sending General Electric locomotive parts, Heinz pickles, Hersheys chocolates and Alcoa aluminum ingots and other Pennsylvania exports totalling $3 billion South to Mexico last year, while importing $3.4 billion of Mexican fruit, vegetables and electronics, including about one-quarter of the produce terminal’s yearly volume, says PennPORTS, the state-backed port advocacy group.
Mexico’s chief port administrator, Fernando Gamboa-Rosas, who calls Mexico “la panza del mundo” (Belly of the World) because of its Atlantic and Pacific ports and its high volume of farm exports; and Juan Ignacio Fernandez-Carbajal, director of the Veracruz port, which is the focus of a $5 billion expansion campaign designed to stimulate Mexican trade.