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Peter Condakes Co.’s president has some thoughts about state of industry

By
Keith Loria

condakeSince the turn of the 20th century, the Peter Condakes Co. has established itself as a leading name in the produce industry with its fresh-from-the vine tomatoes are packaged under the Harvest Queen brand.

Based at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, MA, and adjacent to the Boston Market Terminal in Everett, MA, the company supplies a wide range of fruits and vegetables to major supermarket chains, wholesalers, foodservice providers and restaurants across New England and the Canadian Maritimes.

With so much history — four generations of Condakes have worked at the company — the team has seen its share of problems, and one issue in particular has been on the mind of Peter John Condakes, president and co-owner.

“I’m getting very concerned about the ever-increasing national announcements of challenges of produce with contamination,” he said. “To have someone as very well-known and as reputable a company as Grimmway or SunFed on the Mexican side of the border be implicated, it’s disappointing and everyone feels the same way. It just hits hard.”

When word hits about a recall, it causes the company, as it does everyone involved in the industry, to jump and verify if items were impacted.

“I’m part of NationFresh, a group of family businesses that have partnered together to bid on national contracts, and we do have some, and when something like this happens you get the calls about whether we handled any of these things and it’s just another thing we have to worry about,” Condakes said. “It erodes consumer confidence. It doesn’t last long, but at the time it happens, it’s just a black eye and you wonder if people think we’re not working really hard.”

The reason he thinks there are more than usual is that the detection capabilities are so much better than they were 30-40 years ago — therefore, more problems are discovered.

“On the other hand, we’re striving to do more and more as far as food safety is concerned at all levels of food distribution,” Condakes said. “You have to do it right, but you don’t get a gold star when you do. The growers all try hard.”

In 2024, Peter Condakes Co. enjoyed a solid year, on par with 2023.

“Considering what we’ve had to go through with heavy rains in Mexico, cold weather in Florida at the beginning of the year, then the hurricanes that came through in the fall, we’ve dealt with a lot of short supply situations,” Condakes said. “It changes the way your business goes. In November, Florida was basically wiped out of tomatoes and we did far fewer packages but the sales are there because of the value of each package as the markets are very high.”

His concern with higher prices is that for 50 percent of the population, produce is becoming a luxury good and not something people are buying regularly anymore.

“A lot of people are turning to canned or frozen instead of fresh during times of stressed markets,” Condakes said. “But overall, things are similar to last year.”

Working in the Boston area, he said, is wonderful because it has four seasons and a large student population that migrates out in the summer and then new visitors come in to enjoy the mountains, lakes and seashores.

“The diversity of environments that are close to each other is great and keeps you busy,” Condakes said. “There’s a rhythm to the business here because of the school year and vacation time and that keeps things interesting.”

Keith Loria

Keith Loria

About Keith Loria  |  email

A graduate of the University of Miami, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing for major publications for close to 20 years on topics as diverse as real estate, food and sports. He started his career with the Associated Press and has held high editorial positions at magazines aimed at healthcare, sports and technology. When not busy writing, he can be found enjoying time with his wife, Patricia, and two daughters, Jordan and Cassidy.

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