Todd Penza, sales representative for Pinto Bros. Inc., located on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, told The Produce News that Alex Penza, the son of Fred Penza, one of the company’s three principles, joined the company last year. The 23-year-old is working in the sales department.

“Alex joining us makes three of the third generation that now work in the business,” said Penza. “My father, Louis Penza, is another principle, and the third principle is Buddy Lombardo. His son, Michael, also works for the company.”

Penza said that the Pinto Bros.’ commitment to food safety was confirmed when it received its first Primus GFS audit in January.

“We engaged in this effort because we believe in the highest level of food safety, and also to meet the demands of our customers,” he said. “Having our certification also provides us with a great tool to draw in new customers and more business.”

Pinto Bros. occupies units G-7 through G-9 in the blue-banner section of the new market, and was one of the initial companies to take space on the market when it opened in June 2011. Penza said that because the units are larger than those at the old market, the company was able to gain more space for its operation. This is benefiting the company in many ways, including the unbroken cold chain that helps to keep food fresher.

“Our pallet and storage space is greatly increased,” said Penza. “This has allowed us to diversify more than possible at the old facility. Also, our display area for fresh produce is much larger than we previously had. The temperature control features mean that produce stores better and lasts longer, and overall we are hearing a lot less complaints about product condition than we did on the old market. We also appreciate the high level of security in this facility. It is well maintained and kept extremely clean.”

At the new facility, Pinto Bros. has four separate temperature control areas. This enables every product category to be stored at the ideal temperature meant specifically for it.

Pinto Bros. is a full-line vegetable wholesaler, and it handles seasonal fruits, including mangos. The company sources its products from California and Mexico, and it follows the seasons from Florida northward every year. It distributes as far north as New York, south to Washington, DC, and westward as far as Harrisburg, PA. Its customers are retailers, foodservice operators and wholesalers.

The company distributes “Pango Mango” branded mangos from Martex Farms in Puerto Rico. It is a major distributor for the “Champagne” mango from Ciruli Bros. in Nogales, AZ. The company is also enjoying strong growth in the greens category, such as kale and collards. “All of these categories are growing strongly,” Penza noted. “We continue to explore even more growth opportunities.”

Pinto Bros. has always been strongly committed to locally grown produce, and it plans to continue to support local producers.

“We are looking forward to working with our local farmers this season,” said Penza. “And we stick with local suppliers until the season has ended. We are in favor of the trend and we do our best to promote it.”