NYPS show’s location offers benefits to Hunt’s Point wholesaler E. Armata
NYPS show’s location offers benefits to Hunt’s Point wholesaler E. Armata
E. Armata Inc., whose New York legacy extends far beyond the1968 founding of the Hunt’s Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, where the wholesaler has expanded over the years, is at home on the expo floor of the New York Produce Show.
A steady stream of customers and familiar faces will visit the E. Armata booth (Nos. 470/472) during NYPS expo hours, to catch up on company news and talk business. Michael Armata, sales representative at the wholesaler, said the company’s goal at the NYPS is not just educating attendees on what E. Armata has to offer — it’s to listen and learn about what customers, and potential customers, need.
Armata, who focuses on berry and tomato acquisition and represents a fourth generation at the family business, said the NYPS expo has been busy for E. Armata since the event was founded in 2010.
“It’s been very active,” he said. “We see a lot of our customers, and it gives us an opportunity to talk about things we can improve on and possibly items that are promotable in the near future.”
At least four of the company’s representatives will be at the booth throughout the expo to talk to visitors, Armata said. Overall, more of the company’s sales team attends the show, compared to other events in other regions and across the country.
With the show in E. Armata’s backyard, it gives the company an additional benefit, he said.
“It gives our customers and shippers an opportunity to see our cold-chain compliant facility,” Armata said. “We always enjoy when we have people come to see the work that goes into distributing produce throughout the northeast. We work very hard and are very proud of the job we do.”
For those whose schedule won’t allow a trip to Hunt’s Point, E. Armata has three-dimensional tours of its facilities on its website. The site offers aisle-by-aisle views of E. Armata’s main store, berry warehouse, potato and onion store, tomato repacking facility and other fruit and vegetable warehouses. E. Armata’s presence on the terminal market encompasses units 106-125 of Row A, and 369, and units 370 and 372-376 of Row C.
The company redesigned its expo booth this year.
“We wanted something bright, fresh and clean — just as a produce department should be,” Armata said. “We take a lot of pride in what we do every day, and our booth is a good representation of that.”
The company has been in business for over 100 years, tracing its roots to founder Erasmo Armata, who sold lemons from a sack he carried on his back in the streets of Manhattan, according to the company’s website. He later upgraded to a pushcart, then a horse and wagon, and then settled his fruit business at the Washington Street Market, which was the Hunt’s Point market of that era.
E. Armata’s distribution area covers the entire northeast and has been expanding in recent years, Armata said.
