Piazza Produce setting a standard worth emulating
Piazza Produce setting a standard worth emulating
"We have witnessed tremendous growth in our marketplace in the past three to five years," said Pete Piazza, president of Piazza Produce in Indianapolis. "The city has grown by leaps and bounds, and restaurants are opening at a proportionate rate."
Mr. Piazza is one of five owners of IF&P Foods Inc., also in Indianapolis, which is the parent company of Indianapolis Fruit Co. and Piazza Produce Inc. Although the two firms are sister companies, they are operated independently. Piazza is a distributor to the foodservice sector, and Indianapolis Fruit handles retail. Garden Cut Fresh Products is the fresh-cut/value-added division of Indianapolis Fruit, although it also supplies value- added product to Piazza Produce when needed.
About eight years ago when the companies merged and formed the parent company, Mr. Piazza took over operations of Piazza Produce, and his partners, Joe Corsaro, Dan Corsaro, Chris Mascari and Mike Mascari, took the helm of Indianapolis Fruit. Mr. Piazza said that more medium-level foodservice chains are opening today, such as "Nothing But Noodles," a national chain of over 40 restaurants whose concept is high quality fast-casual. But he noted that quick-serve and white-tablecloth establishments are also surfacing.
"Piazza Produce is positioned perfectly for the new level of foodservice," said Mr. Piazza. "Retail distributors are organized to handle pallets of product, where we have perfected filling orders for as few as a couple of cases. We have an extensive SKU list of over 1,000 items, and collaboration with our sister company and its fresh-cut division enables us to service clients with any additional item they may need."
Piazza Produce's current facility was opened in 1994 and has been continually updated with the latest in construction, material handling and computer technology, including meeting or exceeding food safety certifications.
The company is also perfectly positioned to meet the growing population of its distribution areas, which on a daily basis can range from Columbus, OH, to St. Louis -- and beyond.
"We cover the entire state of Indiana to Cincinnati, Chicago and Dayton and as far south as Elizabethtown, Lexington and Louisville," said Mr. Piazza. "Multiple units of our fleet of over 90 trucks are on the road six days a week -- some daily and others several times a week."
The population movement in America's heartland, Mr. Piazza said, is evolving from suburban to metropolitan living, just as it is in many other areas of the country.
"This trend is especially strong with young people beginning their careers and empty nesters, but even retirees and young families are opting for metropolitan life because they want to be closer to cultural venues and the high energy a city emits," said Mr. Piazza. "Here in Indianapolis there has been a tremendous amount of growth, renovation and new construction. The Colt's RCA Dome stadium recently opened just a block from downtown's Circle Centre Mall. A new convention center now under construction will be nearly double the size of the old center."
The Piazza family has seen many years of change in the Indianapolis area. From the 1940s through the 1960s, Mr. Piazza's father was a jobber with a route of grocery stores. Growing up in the business meant that Pete Piazza learned and loved the produce industry from an early age. After a couple of years of college, he began selling to restaurants in the 1960s.
"My first account was Burger Chef, which had stores all over Indiana," said Mr. Piazza. "That was the prime time in history when mid-line restaurants like Red Lobster were opening across the country. My dad and I grew quickly from the one-truck 'fleet' we had in 1970 to the more than 90 the company has today. Over time, we picked up many other major accounts. Many of these restaurant chains have their own buying programs, and we assign one representative to the account to increase efficiencies."
Despite any number of representatives who are servicing customers, Mr. Piazza makes it a priority to maintain relationships directly with the purchasing departments of the national accounts. "I am always involved in day-to-day operations," he said. "I start between 4 and 5 a.m. We are loading trucks all through the night and dispatching throughout the morning hours. Because of our trucking abilities, we are doing increasing amounts of refrigeration distribution for other suppliers and mix loads for customers. This helps to increase our profits because we charge for the service, and at the same time it helps others reduce their fuel and labor costs."
Although Piazza Produce handles all categories of fresh produce and complementary items, it is particularly known for its full tomato category and repacking program. However, the company is most well known for its service.
"I'm not going to be the cheapest guy in town all the time, but I'll always strive for the highest possible quality," said Mr. Piazza.
Mr. Piazza is one of five owners of IF&P Foods Inc., also in Indianapolis, which is the parent company of Indianapolis Fruit Co. and Piazza Produce Inc. Although the two firms are sister companies, they are operated independently. Piazza is a distributor to the foodservice sector, and Indianapolis Fruit handles retail. Garden Cut Fresh Products is the fresh-cut/value-added division of Indianapolis Fruit, although it also supplies value- added product to Piazza Produce when needed.
About eight years ago when the companies merged and formed the parent company, Mr. Piazza took over operations of Piazza Produce, and his partners, Joe Corsaro, Dan Corsaro, Chris Mascari and Mike Mascari, took the helm of Indianapolis Fruit. Mr. Piazza said that more medium-level foodservice chains are opening today, such as "Nothing But Noodles," a national chain of over 40 restaurants whose concept is high quality fast-casual. But he noted that quick-serve and white-tablecloth establishments are also surfacing.
"Piazza Produce is positioned perfectly for the new level of foodservice," said Mr. Piazza. "Retail distributors are organized to handle pallets of product, where we have perfected filling orders for as few as a couple of cases. We have an extensive SKU list of over 1,000 items, and collaboration with our sister company and its fresh-cut division enables us to service clients with any additional item they may need."
Piazza Produce's current facility was opened in 1994 and has been continually updated with the latest in construction, material handling and computer technology, including meeting or exceeding food safety certifications.
The company is also perfectly positioned to meet the growing population of its distribution areas, which on a daily basis can range from Columbus, OH, to St. Louis -- and beyond.
"We cover the entire state of Indiana to Cincinnati, Chicago and Dayton and as far south as Elizabethtown, Lexington and Louisville," said Mr. Piazza. "Multiple units of our fleet of over 90 trucks are on the road six days a week -- some daily and others several times a week."
The population movement in America's heartland, Mr. Piazza said, is evolving from suburban to metropolitan living, just as it is in many other areas of the country.
"This trend is especially strong with young people beginning their careers and empty nesters, but even retirees and young families are opting for metropolitan life because they want to be closer to cultural venues and the high energy a city emits," said Mr. Piazza. "Here in Indianapolis there has been a tremendous amount of growth, renovation and new construction. The Colt's RCA Dome stadium recently opened just a block from downtown's Circle Centre Mall. A new convention center now under construction will be nearly double the size of the old center."
The Piazza family has seen many years of change in the Indianapolis area. From the 1940s through the 1960s, Mr. Piazza's father was a jobber with a route of grocery stores. Growing up in the business meant that Pete Piazza learned and loved the produce industry from an early age. After a couple of years of college, he began selling to restaurants in the 1960s.
"My first account was Burger Chef, which had stores all over Indiana," said Mr. Piazza. "That was the prime time in history when mid-line restaurants like Red Lobster were opening across the country. My dad and I grew quickly from the one-truck 'fleet' we had in 1970 to the more than 90 the company has today. Over time, we picked up many other major accounts. Many of these restaurant chains have their own buying programs, and we assign one representative to the account to increase efficiencies."
Despite any number of representatives who are servicing customers, Mr. Piazza makes it a priority to maintain relationships directly with the purchasing departments of the national accounts. "I am always involved in day-to-day operations," he said. "I start between 4 and 5 a.m. We are loading trucks all through the night and dispatching throughout the morning hours. Because of our trucking abilities, we are doing increasing amounts of refrigeration distribution for other suppliers and mix loads for customers. This helps to increase our profits because we charge for the service, and at the same time it helps others reduce their fuel and labor costs."
Although Piazza Produce handles all categories of fresh produce and complementary items, it is particularly known for its full tomato category and repacking program. However, the company is most well known for its service.
"I'm not going to be the cheapest guy in town all the time, but I'll always strive for the highest possible quality," said Mr. Piazza.
