S. Katzman produce looking forward to summer

S. Katzman Produce has been operating out of the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, NY for more than five decades, and has always been proud to call New York home.

Recognized as one of the leading wholesaler/distributors of quality produce in market, Katzman’s success comes from over 100 years of working with many of the best-known growers and shippers in the industry.

“One of the things I’m most excited about right now is our relaunch of our pomegranate seeds,” said Stefanie Katzman, executive vice president of the company. “We do a really cool pack with it. We scoop the pomegranate aril out and put them into a cup, and the spoon comes included under the lid, so it’s a nice grab-and-go pack.”

These are imported from India, where they grow a Bhagwa variety year-round, which is super-sweet and has a dark, deep red color.

“The quality is by far the best I’ve seen coming out of any location,” Katzman said. “Besides the product being so flavorful, one of the neatest things about pomegranate is its health benefits. They are very high in antioxidants. And with the focus of consumers driving towards healthy eating right now, I think it’s a great product for produce snacking, as well as a topper for salads and even ice cream. It’s a very versatile product.”

There has been some new packaging that is garnering interest with some of its products, as growers are trying to meet the consumer as to where they want to be in the snacking world.

“We’re seeing snacking become so popular again, whether it be a new value-added pack or just a new product for people to eat on the go,” Katzman said.

As S. Katzman Produce enters into the summer months, the company is starting to see strawberries in full swing out of California; and the sizing coming out of Northern California is just gigantic.

“Flavor has been phenomenal,” Katzman said. “We are hoping and expecting to have a great season.”

Stone fruit will be starting up soon, and cherry season right behind that, so the company is looking forward to the upcoming months and a strong summer season.

“We’re continuing to grow here,” Katzman said. “We’ve had some great new additions to our team and are always looking to find that next great person to join us here — someone who is very passionate about produce and loves the work that we do.”

With the summer approaching, there are more and more people out and about in the city, with barbecues or picnics in the park, and that always means good things for the company and the produce industry in general.

“There’s a lot of energy out there and we’re excited to see what the summer months have in store for us,” Katzman said.

S. Katzman Produce’s strategy for success is about making sure it has top-flavor profiles for all of its products and finding other high-flavor items to add to its portfolio.

“Our customers know they can rely on us for consistent flavor, day in and day out,” Katzman said.

Business for the company has been good so far in 2023, though it did have a slow start due to weather issues in some regions that impacted supplies and drove up costs.

“With everything going on in our economy right now, with inflation and increased import costs at the grower level driving things up, there was a little bit of a slowdown,” Katzman said. “But one of the good things about this industry is there is so many different types of product, and where we are as a wholesaler/distributor, we carry just about everything that grows. It’s nice to be able to bend and move with all the different curveballs that come with our industry.”