Steven Dandrea, vice president of Dandrea Produce Inc., headquartered in Vineland, NJ, told The Produce News that the New York Produce Show definitely helps to drive business for the company.

“We have been exhibiting since its inception, and we’re looking forward to a great fourth event,” said Dandrea. “We’ll be at Booth No. 271 with our executive group and sales team, including family members.”

The company is overseen by third generation brothers, Steven, Ron, secretary/treasurer, and Frank Dandrea, company president. But the fourth generation is quickly being added to the staff. There are currently three of the seven Dandrea grandchildren — representing the fourth generation — now working for the company full time.

The most recent to join the firm was Peter Dandrea, Steven’s son. He joined the company fresh out of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in July this year, and is titled logistics coordinator for West Coast farms, logistics coordinator for import programs and logistics director for the company’s direct store delivery program.

Its primary strategy at the show is a near mirror image to its goals at the PMA Fresh Summit in October. The company continues its pursuit of its business model in terms of growing its sources, importing new and interesting high-quality products, and continuing its search for and partnering with new companies that fit its high criteria.

“We are also adding to our direct growing operation,” said Dandrea. “While we always look forward to meeting and greeting our existing partners, which are integral to our current growth mode, we are always looking for new opportunities.”

At the NYPS, the company will also feature its value-added packaging, and it will be explaining its regional and international growth plans for the future with visitors.

Dandrea said that there are so many projects and strategies in the works in the company that it’s impossible to relay every detail it sets out to accomplish.

“We always most strongly convey our continued pursuit of our business model in terms of growth” he said. “And we are aggressively exploring new sources from both international and domestic partners.”

In mid-September, Dandrea Produce was adding a new fleet of trucks to its services. Dandrea said that the new logistics’ division will operate under the Dandrea Produce name. It began with eight units.

“Although we’ve overseen our own logistics in the past, we now have our own equipment and we’re hiring our own driver,” he said. “The advantages include having better control over our movements and considerable cost savings.”

In September, Dandrea announced that it recently expanded its agreement with Martinavarro S.A in Valencia, Spain, which produces the “Roxy” brand Spanish clementines. It has held a joint venture program with the company for the past several years for distribution in the United States.

“We have now entered into a new formal joint venture agreement with regards to importation, growing and distribution of the ‘Roxy’ brand worldwide,” said Dandrea. “The function is for Dandrea Produce to be the sales arm in North America, and to procure, grow and import citrus from both domestic and worldwide resources.”

Dandrea Produce is also expanding its grower-partner network. It recently entered an agreement with Blocker Farming Enterprises LLC, in Clewiston, FL, which is owned by Cale Blocker. Blocker will grow a number of field vegetables, such as cucumbers, eggplant and other typical eastern vegetables in partnership with Dandrea. The program begins in week 43 and ends in weeks five to six.

It also recently entered into a contract with Omar Hernandez, a grower in Honduras for greenhouse cucumbers and field vegetables such as yellow squash, field greens, eggplant and hard squashes. The program starts on week 51 and runs to week 16.

“This program creates a slight overlap with Florida, but both of these growers are high-quality producers who have strident quality control demands,” said Dandrea. “We won’t have a problem moving these items, and they fit into our continuity to continue to have products under our own control.”