It’s a good time to be in the produce business for Ben B.
It’s a good time to be in the produce business for Ben B.
It’s a good time to be in the produce business, according to Nate Stone, chief operating officer at Ben B. Schwartz & Sons, Inc.
“More people are eating fruits and vegetables — even at restaurants there’s more vegetables on your plate than there used to be,” he told The Produce News in early January. “I think the overall population is trying to eat healthier, so it’s a good time to be in the industry, and it’s a great time for Ben B. in particular.”
And Stone is certainly right. The company, which has been located on the Detroit Produce Terminal Market since 1906, completed its latest expansion towards the end of 2015 and is already preparing for it’s next.
The most recent expansion included two additional truck bays and more room to work for staging and receiving shipments, Stone said. “It’s been great additional space. Anytime you can get more room to move around, it means something,” he added.
Stone also mentioned that company President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Billmeyer recently secured more additional space and the company has already started the demolition process to expand into that as well.
“Our volume just keeps growing and we feel so lucky that the timing was there for us to pick up that additional space,” Stone said. “Sometimes things just line up, and this time it certainly did.”
Stone went on to say that the economy in Detroit has definitely improved over the last year since officially emerging from bankruptcy in December 2014, noting that the city and local government have made a lot of progress, which in return has helped boost business.
“The town has had such a bad reputation for so long, that sometimes people think nothing good can happen here,” he said. “Fortunately for Ben B., we can only see the good — that’s in terms of volume, overall sales, customer satisfaction and distribution.”
Of course, helping drive the company’s success is its team of hard-working, energized professionals who help keep things from “getting stale,” according to Stone.
“These guys go from one new idea to the next — from one growth spurt to another — so that keeps it exciting and interesting,” he said. “For a veteran guy to be around a company that has new ideas just helps to keep things fresh.”
And there is definitely no sign of slowing down for Ben B. anytime in the near future.As Stone said, “there’s nothing but growth ahead.”
