“We survived a tough winter, and we’re looking forward to having a good 2014,” said Chip Wiechec, owner and president of Hunter Bros. Inc. “Hopefully people will want to buy fresh produce as spring unfolds. We also hope that there won’t be strong resistance to prices. Between the increased transportation costs and produce shortages in California, prices are going be higher. But we’re also hopeful that the local growers, despite the cold winter that extended into part of spring, will have a great year. That will help us to all have a great year.”

Hunter Bros. occupies units H-8 and H-9 on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market and was among the companies that took occupancy of the new facility when it opened in June 2011. It distributes to a full line of customer categories, and ships as far north as northern New York and Connecticut, west to West Virginia and central Pennsylvania, and south to the Washington, DC, and Baltimore. The company promotes “Jersey Fresh,” the “PA Locally Grown” and other state locally grown initiatives.

Its mainstay produce mix includes leafy greens, corn, peppers and value-added lettuce and salad mixes. It also sells a lot of local and Washington state apples and pears. Wiechec said it also does a nice bedding plant business.

“The plants make you feel alive after a rough winter,” he explained. “Most consumers buy them at farmers markets. They’re hard to resist because they’re a pretty sign of the arrival of spring. We have the equipment to handle them properly, and the growers we source from are extremely good at producing them.”

The company also does a strong stone fruit business — including Asian pears — from California.

Hunter Bros., Wiechec said, is selling more Latino items, such as cilantro. It is also selling more garlic than in years past. Florida avocados have been a nice boost for the company as well. It handles watercress, herbs, sweet potatoes and just about everything else that’s available and in good quality. Wiechec pointed out that the company’s value-added lineup continues to evolve nicely.

“One interesting fact is that we are seeing more African immigrants on the market, such as from Nigeria,” said Wiechec. “They buy the conventional items like lettuces as well as products that they are familiar with from their homelands. Combined, it makes for a nice mix of customers that are on the market every day.”

Wiechec is every bit as bullish on the new terminal market as he was the day it opened. He said that the company continues to be excited about the opportunities that it offers.

Wiechec added that the company is selling more product overall at PWPM because more customers are shopping there. The unbroken cold chain results in less shrink, which has given has given Hunter Bros. an opportunity to solicit new business from customers who left the old market because of food-safety or handling issues.

“We are able to take better care of product at this facility,” he said. “Returns due to bad product are a nonexistent issue at this market. It’s more expensive for the tenants of course, but product is handled better and that results in increased sales.

“While there will always be product that is on the edge, we no longer have to worry about it breaking down faster because it’s not been kept in a temperature controlled environment,” Wiechec continued. “Customers are reporting much less shrink, and that’s great news.”

Wiechec’s grandfather, Robert Hunter, started the business in 1938, and it has since passed down through the generations. But he doubts that his own kids will enter the produce industry because they have strong outside interests.

“I have key employees who have kids who show an interest in working here, and I’m not opposed to having their next generations on board,” Wiechec said.