“We will be walking the show,” said Michael Armata, a fourth-generation buyer for the company. “We are here to see and spend time with our growers and shippers. We want to find out where we can help to promote product when needed and when we need to focus on other items. It is all about working together and that is what is great about this show. We are able to run into so many people we do business with and touch on different topics that don’t always get discussed in the office.” 

Armata, who joined the company on a full-time basis about 14 years ago and worked his way up the corporate ladder to become the tomato and berry buyer, said company officials want “anyone who meets us to take away that we are honest, and we will do the best job possible for them. Whether we are servicing a customer or moving product for a shipper. We always put our best foot forward and work together to get the job done.” 

The company’s experience in the produce industry helps to make sure that E. Armata officials are always ahead of the curve.

“We focus on bringing in the best quality at all times,” Armata said. “Of course, there are times when the crops are not running well. But we do our best to educate our customers about the issues and navigate through the tough time together. We want to use our knowledge of crop cycles and market trends to help our customers make the best possible buy they can.” 

Armata said the company was founded by his great grandfather, Erasmo Armata, who came to the United States in search of a better life.

“He settled in Manhattan and frequented the Fruit Auction in lower Manhattan where he purchased lemons and sold them out of a burlap bag he carried on his back,” Armata said. “After developing a strong customer base, Erasmo traded in his burlap sack for a pushcart. That pushcart led to a horse and wagon. And that horse and wagon led to a wholesale store.”

Now E Armata has an expansive footprint in the Hunts Point market, from which it distributes a full line of fruits and vegetables throughout the northeast. “We strive to service our customers as best as possible,” Armata added. “There used to be a lot less items. Now there is a lot to offer all the time so we really focus on creating an individual purchasing experience. We cater to our customers to really try to help and understand their needs. We have found our success is in our relationships that we have created over so many years of honest, hard work.”

Staying ahead of the curve is never easy, Armata said. It requires the fortitude to make decisions that things moving in the right decision and doing what is right for the company’s customers.

“Our plan for the future is to keep the company growing,” he said. “There are a lot of obstacles each and every day. One of them would be how the amount of line items per order has grown significantly. Customers who used to order 25 different items now order 75 different ones. So, the pick time is much higher, making it very difficult to get all the trucks out in a timely manor.”