M. Levin and Co. goes a step beyond
M. Levin and Co. goes a step beyond
Longevity.
It is a great thing, especially when operating in the hyper-competitive produce business and need to maintain relationships with companies over generations.
Officials at M. Levin and Co. abide by the philosophy that to stay in business and thrive an organization has to go a step beyond what the other guys do. “We like to think we have outlived some of our competition due to our family’s immense sense of pride that we have in our business,” said Tracie Levin, the company’s controller and a fourth-generation member of the family. “We strive to provide the best products along with the best customer service to set us apart from our competition. The relationships we have with our shippers and our customers is special. We have been dealing with some of our shippers and customers spanning multiple decades.”
The operation was started in 1906 by the Michael Levin. Today, it is still family-owned and operated and run by members of the third and fourth generation.
“When my great grandfather Michael Levin started the company we were amongst the first in the country to bring in bananas to ripen and distribute,” Levin said. “Today we continue to ripen and distribute, on a much larger scale than we did back in 1906. Since its inception the company has grown to become a full-line distributor of all fresh fruits and vegetables — not just bananas, although they remain our No. 1 commodity.”
Philadelphia has always played a big role in the company’s development and in its current situation. Levin said M. Levin started on Dock Street in Philadelphia and then expanded into a few different homes over the next 100 years, all within Philadelphia proper.
“Today we operate out of six units in the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market — a produce market unlike any other in the country,” she said. “Philadelphia is centrally located close to our ports and all major highways. We are located right in the middle of the New York and Baltimore metropolitan areas, so we are in a prime spot for produce.”
Part of the company’s success is the fact that its executives start at the bottom and work their way up. Levin, who joined the company straight out of college about 20 years ago, is a great example of that.
“When I first started I learned the operations from the ground up, which included sweeping up the warehouse and scheduling the maintenance for our fleet of trucks, forklift and pallet jacks along with our ripening rooms,” she noted. “I then went into sales, coming in before the sun came up each day. I then transitioned into a business development and marketing role and today I do all of these things, including but not limited to working with our food safety division as well handling the daily operations of the company. I wear many hats on a daily basis.”
Levin is extremely hopeful for the future of the company, especially as the fourth generation of family ownership starts to run the show. “First, we are always looking into expanding,” she said. “We are currently working on expanding our banana ripening capabilities, including our delivery capabilities.”
She added that the company’s plans for the future always include growth. “The company has seen growth in all sectors throughout all past generations of the company,” Levin added. “As the third generation retires it will be up to the initiatives set in place by the fourth generation to continue on. There are certainly challenges that will need to be overcome — the current economy being one, still recovering from the lack of laborers since COVID, along with increased competition from our competitors and suppliers as well.”
