In early 1926, Moses Richter boarded a train in North Carolina headed for New York City for the purpose of helping Southern peach growers get a fair market price for their crops. That journey marked the beginning of Richter and Company, which,100 years later, is still laser focused on Southern peaches and the longevity of its “Family of Farms.”

Moses Richter’s journey actually began in what is now the city of Odessa in Ukraine, where he was born in 1898. As a teenager, Moses traveled to the United States to join his sister and brother-in-law in North Carolina, where he quickly found work in a store handling produce. It wasn’t long before he opened his own department store in nearby Mount Gilead. It offered a variety of items, and its customers included peach farmers. Richter listened to their complaints about not getting a fair price for their products, which motivated his trip to New York City.

Soon after, Moses Richter began selling Southern peaches at the Washington Street Produce Market, the epicenter of the New York produce industry at the time. The reputation of Richter and Co. grew, and Moses soon represented peach growers throughout the South and East, and sold to customers throughout the United States and Canada. In fact, he earned the title of “Peach King,” which personified Moses’ knack for marketing and selling popular stone fruit.

Richter and Co. continued to grow with Moses’ son, Bernard, joining his father in business after serving in the Navy during World War II. The two continued to expand the operation, working together into the 1960s, until Moses died in 1969. 

In the 1970s, Bernard’s sons, Benjie and Lloyd, came aboard. Bernard ran the company into the 1980s, and turned it over to his sons, who remain top executives.  

Each generation of Richter and Co. has profoundly impacted the operation. Moses got the company off the ground and established it as a Southern peach specialist. Bernard brought the firm into the modern era, establishing long-term relationships with retailers throughout the U.S. as direct-to-retailer sales took hold. Benjie and Lloyd have expanded the business into new commodities, and added an additional sales office to grow the company’s customer base.

Over many decades, Richter and Co. has established deep partnerships with a handful of Southeastern growers, who Richter markets as its “Family of Farms.”

In the 2000s, Richter and Co. opened its Texas office under the leadership of Kevin Rogers, the team’s unofficial spokesperson. Benjie, is the president, and Lloyd, the vice president, have offices at company headquarters in Charlotte N.C. 

Rogers is executive director, and Jarrod Snider manages the company’s substantial year-round onion program, which features Vidalia and Peruvian onions. Snider’s official title is director of commodity development. A fourth generation of Richters, Ben and Brittany, have also joined the team.

“Peaches are our largest crop, followed by onions and berries,” Rogers said, noting that each of its major crops has a finite sale period and a special position in the marketplace. “We have a sexy story to tell because we sell sexy items. By that, I mean each of our items are special and people are attracted to them.”

According to Rogers, Southeast peaches are available from about mid-May to Labor Day. They are very well received, especially in the eastern half of the United States, with most national and regional retailers offering big displays of Southern peaches. Richter and Co. works with growers in three South Carolina growing regions, which allows peaches to be sold from literally the first picking day to the end of the season. “We are one of the largest Southeastern peach distributors in the world,” Rogers said.

Vidalia onions are known worldwide for their sweetness, with the bulk of the crop marketed from early April to August. Like peaches, Rogers said retail customers love to call out the origin of Vidalia onions, as the moniker resonates from coast to coast. Richter and Co. has partnered with Stanley Farms to market its Vidalia onions for more than 50 years.

“Our berry program is special, as well,” Rogers said, noting that strawberries and blackberries come from McLeod Farms in McBee, SC. “They are a sought-after item. They fly off the shelves.”

According to Rogers, strawberries are available from April through mid-May, with blackberries having an equally short marketing season, beginning in June. “One hundred percent of these berries are sold locally,” he said.

Berries typically go from harvest to retailers’ shelves in less than 48 hours, Rogers said.

He cannot be more complimentary of his 18-year association with Richter and Co. “It’s my dream job. “I am working for a fantastic family and a great ‘Family of Farms’

With the 2026 Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure show on the horizon, Rogers said this will be his18th year in attendance. “We are proud to be a gold level sponsor,” he said. “It is the only food show where we exhibit every year because it is in our backyard and includes a great many of our customers. Come see us on Sponsor Row in Booth No. 127.”