John DiFeliciantonio, a partner-owner of Ryeco LLC, located on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, told The Produce News that the company is happy to announce that it has joined forces with Tom Aupperle, a highly experienced logistics’ expert, to form a new company called MVP Logistics LLC.

Some of the Ryeco sales staff at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market: Sean storey, Rich Mastero, John Flick and Keith Reilly.“This will help us at Ryeco to offer better transportation services and at the same time make us more competitively priced because we’ll be handling the majority of our own transportation,” said Mr. DiFeliciantonio. “This new company is also providing brokerage and logistics’ services to the trade, so its expertise is available to an unlimited number of companies.”

MVP Logistics is housed at Ryeco’s PWPM facility; units C-3 through C-7.

Mr. Aupperle is a 30-plus veteran in the trucking and produce industry. From 1985 to 1995 he managed and partnered in logistics’ firms. For the past 18 years he worked for C.H. Robinson.

“My position there was to manage the capacity for loads out of California and Arizona,” said Mr. Aupperle. “I was also an account executive securing new customers for the company. In transportation, people are constantly connecting with carriers to secure their transportation needs. But it is also necessary to bring business in to fill those transport commitments. I did both sides at C.H. Robinson, but at different times.”

Mr. Aupperle has known Mr. DiFeliciantonio and his partners at Ryeco — Mike Reilly Sr., and Mike Reilly Jr. — since the mid-1980s when he worked at the old Philadelphia terminal market. He provided trucking for them during that time.

Other major news at Ryeco is that the company has expanded its space at the PWPM. Mr. DiFeliciantonio said that the company took on two additional spaces — units D-5 and D-6 — at the facility.

“For the time being we are using the units as storage,” he said. “We have a new hothouse tomato and pepper program, and while they are being handled in our C units, the program did require that we have more space to make room for it.”

“Rich Mastero joined our staff when we took on the new units,” Mr. DiFeliciantonio continued. “He is handling sales for our hothouse program.”

The company also recently hired Sean Storey as a sales representative.

Mr. DiFeliciantonio has been a strong advocate of the new PWPM, and he continues to feel that the optimum temperature and humidity conditions, the clean and well organized space, automated dock plates and every other detail about the highly technical facility is extremely beneficial to product. That in turn makes it beneficial for companies on the market, their customers and consumers.

“The rooms are large and everyone has new equipment, so nothing is breaking down,” he said. “Everything is clean and secure.”

Mr. DiFeliciantonio has served as a member of the PWPM’s board of directors for the past two years.

Ryeco is a full service produce house that handles a full range of domestic and imported fruits and vegetables. Mr. DiFeliciantonio said the company originally started as a potato and onion handler over 35 years ago, but expanded its line into a full line fruit and vegetable receiver and distributor about 22 years ago. The company operates 24 hours a day and offers seven day a week delivery.

It ships daily in an approximate 200- to 300-mile radius, “but we also have customers that are buying and shipping as far north as New England and as far south as Florida,” he said. “Some of our product is even shipped to California, and we sell to customers in the Caribbean. So weekly, our range is in the thousands of miles.”

The company’s customers are small and major retail chains, foodservice distribution companies, restaurants and restaurant corporations, chefs, wholesalers and all other sectors. The company supports local farmers during seasonal movements.

The company is currently developing its Good Agricultural Practices certification, in addition to other food-safety and traceability certifications. Mr. DiFeliciantonio said that he anticipates all of the procedures will be in place in the near future.

“Our growth has always been steady and calculated,” said Mr. DiFeliciantonio. “Our goal is to always serve our customers and to respond to their needs. Ryeco’s mission is to help customers grow their businesses and profit margins by offering an extensive product line with excellent quality and aggressive pricing.”