Since beginning operations in 1975, Ryeco Wholesale Produce has cultivated and maintained a philosophy of freshness, quality and service that has enabled the company to become a trusted and reputable fixture of the Northeast food marketplace.

Doing business in the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, the company prides itself on customer service.

“I remind my guys every day to treat the customers, the shippers, and their fellow employees the same way you want to be treated,” said Mike Reilly Jr., president of Ryeco Wholesale Produce. “That has been a secret to success for us since the beginning. We value those relationships and some we’ve had for 29 years since we’ve started.”

In 2019, Ryeco Wholesale Produce has added several new people to keep its top-of-the-line service going strong.

One of those who joined the company is a familiar name—Tom Reilly, who now serves as director of sales and purchasing.

“He brings with him 30 years of experience and he knows this business inside and out—from trucking to warehouse management, and everything else. It’s been a big hire for us,” Reilly said. “I appreciate all my employees and let them know they are just as important to me as my shippers and my customers.”

The company is also doing more on the inport end of the business and to help, Bryan Gomez was brought in to manage it.

“This has been a good avenue of growth for us and we’ve been able to expand through that end of the business,” Reilly said.

Three years ago, Ryeco Wholesale Produce started a trucking business with two straight jobs and two tractor trailers and now it operates a fleet of 16 trucks.

“That has also been a key for us in continuing to grow,” Reilly said. “You try to nurture your customers and the biggest growth for me has come from word-of-mouth. I had more shippers come to me that were referred by others I had worked with.”

In 2019, Reilly is hoping to see another 5 percent growth, which is about what it did in 2018. That growth came from a combination of a little more business from customers it was already working with and new business that came in.

“Not every deal is going to go your way, but how you handle those that don’t is critical,” Reilly said. “You could lose a shipper or a customer with one bad delivery if you don’t handle it the right way. That’s something my father told me before we even had stores on the market. You have to take care of every relationship like it’s the only one.”

Personnel issues can be a challenge, Reilly said, if people don’t buy in to the company’s philosophy and treat the customers the way they need to be treated. For instance, he’s seen the way a driver talks to someone hurt his business.

When Reilly took over the business, the company would bring in seven loads a week and it’s grown every year since and now have eight units on the market and receive over 120 loads a week. That in itself presents challenges.

But it’s nothing that the company can’t handle.

“We’re fortunate in that we have a state-of-the-art facility here that is second to none,” Reilly said. “We work hard every day and get the job done.”