ST. LOUIS — Because the St. Louis Produce Market doesn’t have available space to expand, Sunfarm Food Service Inc., is tripling its warehouse space with a move off the market this June.

Sunfarm is tripling its operating space, from 7,000 square feet on the market to occupy the warehouse near that market that was being vacated on March 8 by Front Row Produce LLC. Coincidentally, Front Row is tripling its space by moving to a 60,000-square-foot facility.

John Pollaci, president of Sunfarm, said his firm has doubled its revenue in the last five years. In mid-May, Pollaci said, “We are setting up our warehouse just how we want it. It is coming nicely.” The progress came despite “this being our busiest time of the year. Sales are still moving along. We like to see that, especially with the leap to the new building.

“We outgrew those walls,” Pollaci said of Sunfarm’s location on Produce Row. But without space to expand on the market, which is the source of some of Sunfarm’s produce inventory, the firm bought the alternative facility from Tony Pupillo, who owns Front Row.

Sunfarm will expand its office and improve the refrigeration and shipping and receiving docks. “We don’t break the cold chain,” Pollaci noted. The new facility will be helpful in maintaining the cold chain “and our customers appreciate that. We are very customer service oriented.”

Sunfarm predominantly serves white-tablecloth restaurants within a 30-mile radius. The firm’s three salesmen work with chefs as “produce sommeliers.”

Pollaci continued, “Our packing and loading process will be more efficient” in part because of the implementation of new software. He expects Sunfarm’s business volume will continue to grow because of increased services and subsequent “word of mouth. We have built a strong reputation for ourselves. This will add to our capacity and efficiency. We will have better service for our customers, even at a lower cost. We will pass on the savings.”

The refrigeration capacity will increase by three or four times and the office space will double. “Our product line will stay the same and our customer focus will stay the same. We will serve our larger customers a little better because we will be able to store a larger capacity to have more of what they need.”

Sunfarm will have ripening rooms in its new facility, as well as freezers for its non-produce line. The firm also handles dairy products.

Pollaci said the new space will be HACCP-approved for repacking. There are plans to expand from the current nine delivery vehicles.

Sunfarm is “wholly a foodservice distributor. We sell to independent chefs, for the most part. We do some foodservice chain business and sell to hotels and schools,” he said.

First lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to have school children increase produce consumption has caused school foodservice demand for produce to “go up a lot,” Pollaci said.

Sunfarm is primarily a direct receiver but the firm also sources needs from its neighbors on Produce Row, he noted.

Pollaci joined his father-in-law, Sunfarm owner Sam Sanfilippo, six years ago.

According to Sunfarm’s website, Sam Sanfilippo established Sunfarm on Produce Row in 1983.

The Sanfilippo family immigrated to St. Louis from Trappeto, Sicily, in 1923. They family grew lemons in Italy and first sold product at the Soulard Market in downtown St. Louis.