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nity.
Farmers markets also thrive in Des
Moines. According to Iowa State Univer- sity, farmers markets in Iowa contribute an estimated $59.4 million in gross sales to the state economy. “We see an increasing interest in locally grown,” says Petersen. “Our large farmers market on Saturday pulls anywhere from 3,000 to 25,000 people depending on time of year.”
MORE THAN BBQ
ough the stereotype cuisine of this region may be barbecue, the cities o er much more to discover in foodservice. “According to C&C’s Conforti, “We have upscale steak- houses, great seafood and good continental cuisines. Indian and Mexican venues are also growing, as well as ai or other Asian foods.”
e Kansas City Chamber of Commerce reports the metro area has a very busy restau- rant scene, including some James Beard award-winning chefs. According to the Iowa Restaurant Association, there are more than 6,000 eating and drinking establishments in Iowa, two-thirds of which are independently owned.
Between 2012 and 2018 there was a 55% increase in food and beverage sales in Down- town Des Moines as reported by the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
e foodservice industry in St. Louis continues to expand, according to VMP’s Pupillo. “ ere is a lot of good foodservice business in St. Louis,” he says. “Per capita, we have a pretty ample restaurant scene here.”
Des Moines is a growing city with a trendy vibe, says DeMatteis of Des Moines Truck Brokers. “ ere are the chains but also some great local restaurant groups,” he says.
Capital City Fruit delivers into a seven- state region, each with its own unique environment and trends. “We are seeing a proliferation of young chefs and creative concepts,”saysComito,ofCapitalCityFruit. “Locally owned restaurants are popular in Des Moines, while the chains are predom- inate in the suburbs. e chefs have moved away from the traditional meat and potatoes dishes of the 1970s and 1980s and are really incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables in their menus.”
Conforti concurs on the growth of health-oriented restaurants in the region. “Fresh, healthy and fast is trending,” he says. “It’s vegetarian-style food without necessarily being strict vegetarian. True Food Kitchen that just opened on e Plaza is a good example of this.” pb
Wholesale Companies Carve Out Space
Competition is strong, but businesses customize to continue growth.
holesalers in Des Moines, Kansas City and St. Louis remain central in the produce distribution stream for retail, foodservice and other formats.
plus for the region. “We can throw a team together in California and be here in two days,” says Conforti. “We’re also only about two days from Texas, Florida or Canada.”
Since the region doesn’t have the population base of the coasts, explains Brendan Comito, chief operations o cer at Capital City Fruit in Norwalk, IA, there are fewer competitors moving into the market. “But, it also means we have a lower population to sell to,” he says. “We have to ght and scrap for every piece. is has resulted in us being ahead of wholesalers in other regions as we have confronted disruption well before they have to confront it.”
AMPLE FACILITIES
In Des Moines and Kansas City, wholesalers tend to operate their own individual ware- houses. In Kansas City, C&C operates from a 2,000-square-foot refrigerated facility. “We bought it in 2003 and have made signi cant improvements, including state-of-the-art refrig- eration, a new roof, dock doors and o ces,” says Conforti. “In 2017, we did almost $3 million of renovations on all the o ces.”
However, St. Louis still maintains a tradi- tionalwholesaleterminalmarket,consisting of a 30-acre site, with two main buildings and approximately 20 companies on the Market. Operators include national produce brokerage companies, foodservice operators, produce wholesalers, specialty wholesale produce oper- ators, food processing, produce packaging oper- ations and cold storage.
e St. Louis Market operators provide produce for an area more than 350 miles around St. Louis, and they service supermar- kets, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, schools, nursing homes, convenience stores, farmer markets and roadside produce stands, according to the Market’s Property Management O ce.
By Jodean Robbins
W
ough the market has changed over the past decade, they continue to seek out their space in it. “It’s competitive, but we’re doing well,” says Vince Pupillo, owner of VMP Produce in St. Louis. “What keeps us competitive is that we’re small and we can maneuver what we have. We can change and adapt easily.”
Buyers in the region take advantage of the wholesalers’ ability to o er freshness and tailored service. “Customers want freshness and customization,” says Pupillo. “We pack what people need, and we pack good quality,” he says. “We take orders and pack daily, so it’s fresh.”
ese Midwest wholesalers point to being centrallylocatedasasigni cantadvantage.“We serve a lot of wholesalers going directly into warehouses,” says Nick Conforti, vice president at C&C Produce in Kansas City, MO. “We hit St. Louis and its suburbs, Des Moines, Omaha and Lincoln and down to Wichita.”
Ron Petersen, president of Summertime Potato Company in Des Moines, IA, says the Midwest location allows for easy access to the East Coast, Southeast or Midwest. “Transpor- tation costs are less too,” he says. “ ere are a number of trucks making deliveries into Des Moines and looking for backhauls, so we have good opportunity to transport products.”
Proximity to growing locations is another
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