New York is a business of niches

With fruits and vegetables, it’s all about which niches are in the limelight.

At A. Gurda Produce Company, Inc., which is celebrating 25 years in business, Michelle Gurda, the distributor’s food safety director, says the niches for 2018 mirrored those of wholesalers and retailers around the country, including “locally grown, organics, and value-added packaging.”

Ron Myruski, owner of Raymond Myruski LLC, a grower and shipper of all things onion, also sees these major trends climbing steadily. The company handles red, yellow, and white onions of “extremely numerous varieties,” with red onions edging higher.

Stefanie Katzman, executive manager for fourth generation S. Katzman Produce Inc., takes a broader view and doesn’t see “one particular commodity” outpacing the rest, instead observing rising movement for fresh produce overall and “especially in those commodities that top the chart in health benefits.”

Joel Fierman, president of Joseph Fierman & Son Inc., says he believes “good quality” and ease of use rules the market.

“People don’t want to waste time handling product the way they used to,” he says. “They want the best quality.”

This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.