Hosting the Super Bowl brings great business opportunities to Detroit
Hosting the Super Bowl brings great business opportunities to Detroit
DETROIT -- When the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks meet here Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. EST to battle for a Super Bowl victory, the Detroit produce industry will have already been cheering for several days.
The Super Bowl, which is important even to non-football fans, is typically celebrated with copious amounts of food, and the produce industry enjoys spikes in its sales leading up to game day. Avocados move quickly for guacamole and vegetables for dipping trays are in high demand. But for the host city, the event builds up for much longer as the city floods with both fans and sports industry people. The Detroit produce industry expects to see foodservice sales explode and its traditional Super Bowl sales to be even greater with the city at fever pitch with excitement.
"I do see that there is going to be a surge," mostly in foodservice, said R.A.M. Produce Distributors LLC's Michael Badalament. He views the Super Bowl as a national event, and said, "It is going to attract a lot of attention. I think it is going to be good on the retail end and certainly on the foodservice end. I think it will be a surge and then it will level off right after the game."
At Coosemans Detroit, Jerry McCormick, managing partner, plans to "do it normal" and not stock up on product ahead of time more than usual. "If something happens, we can get stuff here quick enough. We can just fly it in. These chefs are great at coming up with these strange last-minute requests - strange herbs, strange fruits. Hopefully what they are looking for will be available."
At Aunt Mid Produce Co., Dominic Riggio, president of the firm, is expecting a surge in demand for "party vegetables, salsas, tomatoes, cilantro, leaf lettuces for vegetable trays. And I just think all the way down the line because there are going to be so many corporate parties. I expect the whole week to be good. I expect the white-tablecloth restaurants to be rocking. It will be the week because it is here. Normally it is just the weekend."
Asked if Aunt Mid will stock up ahead of time, Mr. Riggio said, "We will have plenty of stuff here at Aunt Mid." At Andrews Bros. Inc., Jeffrey J. Abrash said, "It should be a good opportunity for foodservice, and I hope it is." Andrews Bros. supplies the foodservice market indirectly through the wholesale customers it has that supply that market segment.
On the retail end, the independent two-store Randazzo Fresh Market is anticipating a spike in sales of some of its products - "party trays, vegetable trays. That will be very good for us," said Sonny Randazzo. The store is advertising specials on the items it believes will be in high demand such as special order large party trays suitable for 20 or more people. It advertises through its web page, a brochure available to customers in the stores and through direct mailings.
"Avocados are a part of our sale for the Super Bowl," Mr. Randazzo said.
No matter what happens in the game, it seems the produce industry will win.
(For more on the Detroit market, see the Jan. 30 issue of The Produce News.)
The Super Bowl, which is important even to non-football fans, is typically celebrated with copious amounts of food, and the produce industry enjoys spikes in its sales leading up to game day. Avocados move quickly for guacamole and vegetables for dipping trays are in high demand. But for the host city, the event builds up for much longer as the city floods with both fans and sports industry people. The Detroit produce industry expects to see foodservice sales explode and its traditional Super Bowl sales to be even greater with the city at fever pitch with excitement.
"I do see that there is going to be a surge," mostly in foodservice, said R.A.M. Produce Distributors LLC's Michael Badalament. He views the Super Bowl as a national event, and said, "It is going to attract a lot of attention. I think it is going to be good on the retail end and certainly on the foodservice end. I think it will be a surge and then it will level off right after the game."
At Coosemans Detroit, Jerry McCormick, managing partner, plans to "do it normal" and not stock up on product ahead of time more than usual. "If something happens, we can get stuff here quick enough. We can just fly it in. These chefs are great at coming up with these strange last-minute requests - strange herbs, strange fruits. Hopefully what they are looking for will be available."
At Aunt Mid Produce Co., Dominic Riggio, president of the firm, is expecting a surge in demand for "party vegetables, salsas, tomatoes, cilantro, leaf lettuces for vegetable trays. And I just think all the way down the line because there are going to be so many corporate parties. I expect the whole week to be good. I expect the white-tablecloth restaurants to be rocking. It will be the week because it is here. Normally it is just the weekend."
Asked if Aunt Mid will stock up ahead of time, Mr. Riggio said, "We will have plenty of stuff here at Aunt Mid." At Andrews Bros. Inc., Jeffrey J. Abrash said, "It should be a good opportunity for foodservice, and I hope it is." Andrews Bros. supplies the foodservice market indirectly through the wholesale customers it has that supply that market segment.
On the retail end, the independent two-store Randazzo Fresh Market is anticipating a spike in sales of some of its products - "party trays, vegetable trays. That will be very good for us," said Sonny Randazzo. The store is advertising specials on the items it believes will be in high demand such as special order large party trays suitable for 20 or more people. It advertises through its web page, a brochure available to customers in the stores and through direct mailings.
"Avocados are a part of our sale for the Super Bowl," Mr. Randazzo said.
No matter what happens in the game, it seems the produce industry will win.
(For more on the Detroit market, see the Jan. 30 issue of The Produce News.)
