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when boxes of delivered food sit on doorsteps for three hours and more,” ruminates Davidoff.
SOURCING THE MARKET
“Because California and the Bay Area are so diverse in ethnicities, people long for the fruits and vegetables from their homelands,” explains Butch Hill, management of purchases and sales, with Shasta Produce Inc. “Typically people from these countries mainly eat fresh, so demand is always high for international exotic fruits and veggies. Our international pull has increased tenfold just in the last year.”
When asked about the state of organics as a viable category in a geographic region that proclaims food origin is must-have informa- tion, Davidoff of Twin Peaks simply says, “It’s hard to feed America if you’re only growing organics.”
“There are more organic products on the market these days, but it isn’t necessarily because more people want to eat organic,” says Hill of Shasta Produce. “More farms are growing organic because they understand the return per acre is usually higher on anything organic. This extra organic product is forced into the market via open-priced loads when they get stuck. Stores will buy more organic
California Brussels sprouts being loaded at Golden Gate Market
product because of price versus conventional, and not because of organic demand.” Hill adds, “I think real organic demand increases slightly every year, but so does conventional demand. There are more people to feed every year.”
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
“Over the decades, mirroring the trends throughout the country, many successful small- and medium-sized chains that used to source the market every day have been purchased and consolidated into corporate distribution centers under a variety of banners,” explains Papazian of Lucky Strike Farms. “Luckily, much of this lost business on the terminals has been replaced by
a dynamic and growing trade of ethnic specialty stores, such as Chavez Markets, which caters to cultures and customers who shop several times a week for the food of their family history,” he adds.
The competitive environment creates an on-edge sense and instigates a greater need to genuinely foster business relationships. For years, this action has been typical in the produce industry, but in today’s environment in the Bay Area, nurturing is a vital element for success. “Building relationships with people is what helps us find the right prod- ucts for our customers,” notes Sommerfield of Banner Fruit. “We talk and listen and go to their stores.” He says those store trips make a difference.
“We buy internationally to support our existing programs. For example, our successful grape program includes Chilean grapes, and we buy peppers from Holland and Mexico,” says Davidoff. Founded in 1994, the company sources citrus from across the world including Australia, and Mexican vegetables are part of the global offerings. Davidoff notes main- taining close ties internationally cannot be overlooked, especially when Bay Area customers depend on global products. pb
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