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MARKET PROFILE
Indianapolis — Pedigreed Produce
Generations of family operations intertwine to provide hoosier state’s capital with year-round, fresh fruits and vegetables.
EBy Linda Brockman
ver since restaurateur Joe Stahr opened St. Elmo Steak House in 1902, the iconic Indianapolis restaurant has been making its famous horseradish sauce in its original downtown location.“We
grind the horseradish daily and make small batches of sauce throughout the day to make sure it is extremely spicy and fresh,” says Bryn Jones, vice president of marketing and retail for St. Elmo.
The star player in three different horse- radish sauces, this vital ingredient (goggles are required) needs to be fresh and potent “to make sure it has that extra spicy kick our guests love,” says Jones. That’s why St. Elmo trusts Piazza Produce to deliver.
“We have a fantastic relationship with distributor Piazza Produce,” she says. “They source all of our horseradish specifically for
us.”Piazza, Corsaro, Caito, Mascari, Ray and Bova. These are the surnames of the produce wholesalers who’ve spent generations supplying Indianapolis with fresh produce. Many of the individuals who carry these names are also related to one another, either by birth or marriage.
“I love working in the family business and having everyone involved,” says Greg Corsaro, chief executive officer for IF&P Foods LLC, the holding company for Piazza Produce, Indianapolis Fruit and Garden Cut. “We respect each other, which is why the family bonds have never been severed. Working with family can be challenging, especially in our business, where we are working with a perishable product in a dynamic environment. When things go well, it’s easy, but when things don’t go well, it’s nice to be surrounded by the people I care about the most.”
The majority of IF&P ownership was purchased by Rotunda Capital Partners, a private equity group, in August of 2017, “so we’re technically no longer majority fami-
ly-owned,” says Corsaro. “However, we are still a family business due to the number of family still involved.”
Indianapolis Fruit Co. and Piazza Produce Inc. operate independently. Piazza is a distrib- utor to the foodservice sector, and Indianap- olis Fruit handles retail. Garden Cut Fresh Products is the fresh-cut, value-added divi- sion of Indianapolis Fruit, although it also supplies value-added product to Piazza Produce when needed.
“Indianapolis is having a food renais- sance,” says Daniel Corsaro, director of sales and marketing for Indy Fruit. “Our consumers are more intrigued by things that are different, whether that’s cultural cuisine, innovative products, whether that’s health and diet, ethnic products. It was very trans- actional for a long time, but now people want an experience. That is changing because the community is changing. There is more of a need for independent restaurateurs pushing taste buds to the limit.”
Daniel Corsaro, 30, is Greg’s younger
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cousin and the third Daniel Corsaro in his family line. He went into the insurance busi- ness for a short time but returned to produce. “The challenge is exciting, unpredictable. The same reason this business is frustrating for others is what I like about it.” His dad, also Daniel, is retired but still calls his son every morning to check in.
RAY & MASCARI
Just as the Indianapolis produce business has more than one Daniel Corsaro, it also has multiple Mike Rays. Mike A. Ray is the vice president of operations for Ray and Mascari (R&M), a tomato repacking company in downtown Indianapolis. His grandfather, Michael G. Ray, started the company in 1938, along with Michael G.’s uncles Gus, Tony and Frank Mascari.
Everyone works together in the business including Mike A.’s father, Joe M. Ray; uncle Michael J. Ray; brother, Joseph “Rocky” Ray; and cousin Jason Ray. Mike A.’s son, Salva- tore, represents the fourth generation of Rays
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INDIANAPOLIS