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PHILADELPHIA MARKET PROFILE
Dante Lewis, Michelle DiFeliciantonio, Gina Lewis, Natalie Prusich of North American Produce
Bobby Mueller, RJ Durante and Frank McDonald of Nardella
markets because of food safety concerns,” Procacci says.
e cold chain integrity and cleanliness of PWPM’s facility becomes more relevant with each day, says Frank McDonald, sales at Nardella. “Years ago, requirements may not have been as strict, but now everything is inspected and big buyers are stringent,” he says. “It’s about knowing what we’re getting, how it’s handled, and what we’re giving to the customer.”
Front Row (L-R): Alfredo Galan, Mike Keen, David DiPascale, Mario DiFebbo Back Row (L-R): Paul Matthews, Sid Richardson, Mike McCauley, Bob Ziernicki, Dave King of Procacci Brothers and Garden State Farms
Mark and Tracie Levin of M. Levin
CUSTOMER CHANGES
PWPM’s customer base remains steady yet diverse. “Our current customer base is comprised of wholesalers, retailers, independent chain stores, big box stores, foodservice distrib- utors, as well as corner stores and bodegas,” says Mark Levin, chief executive of M. Levin and Company. “Over the past 10 years, we have seen an increase in the number of customers who shop daily for their corner stores and bodegas.”
NAPCO owner John DiFeliciantonio says the customer base is di erent than decades ago, owing to consolidation of bigger chains. “ is means less buyers on that level in general, but there are more people in the market from di erent parts of the world,” he says. “ ere is also more electronic communication day in and day out, so more delivery services are required.”
Technology and communication develop- ments have a ected the dynamic of how some
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