New service deal a boon for Ellis Fleisher and the Philadelphia produce market
New service deal a boon for Ellis Fleisher and the Philadelphia produce market
PHILADELPHIA -- Ellis Fleisher Produce Co., a distributor on the Philadelphia Regional Produce Center, here, has extended its business through a new affiliation with Liberty Foods Inc., also based here.
Liberty Foods is a distributor of 45 food categories, serving a region ranging from Washington, DC, to New York state.
Fleisher is providing 10,000-12,000 packages of fresh produce a week for Liberty to distribute to Pennsylvania state prisons, hospitals and other such state institutions. Schools are not currently part of this program, but Mr. Fleisher said that this status may change.
As a minority owner, Robert Towns of Liberty Foods became involved with food distributor W.S. Lee & Sons Inc. in Altoona, PA, which won the state contract to serve food to the state institutions. The state contract required minority participation. Mr. Towns, who has been involved in foodservice distribution for 20 years, has worked with Ellis Fleisher Produce Co. for many years, and asked Mr. Fleisher to be his primary fresh produce supplier.
Mr. Fleisher said that he, in turn, is supplementing his buying with many purchases on the Philadelphia Produce Center. Mr. Towns said that it became apparent that supplying institutions throughout Pennsylvania can be most-efficiently run through the Philadelphia market.
Sonny DiCrecchio, general manager of the Philadelphia Regional Produce Center, said July 13 that Philadelphia is the nation's second-largest produce market. Mr. Towns and Mr. Fleisher both indicated that the supplier options at the market make it unbeatable.
"This has meant a lot of new business for the market," Mr. Fleisher said, adding that the state used to do such supplying on a contract basis, "but [it] realized the best source was here in Philadelphia. Before, if a company in western Pennsylvania got the bid and there was a bad load of peaches or peppers, they had nowhere to replace that. Here, if we receive something that's bad, we can buy it from someone else.
Mr. Fleisher continued, "This is a good move for the state, it's good for the market, it's good for Ellis Fleisher Produce, and Liberty Foods was smart to hook up here. It's a win-win for everybody.
Mr. Towns, whose headquarters is in the Philadelphia suburb of North Wales, PA, has leased office space from Mr. Fleisher to have a location on the Philadelphia market. Liberty Foods otherwise operates from warehouses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Mr. Towns has hired a quality control professional who works from Fleisher Produce to check all outbound shipments. Mr. Fleisher said that he has added warehousing staff to handle his new volume.
The agreement between Liberty and Ellis Fleisher Produce became effective June 6. The two firms work within a three-year contract with the state, and the contract has two one-year options for renewal.
Mr. Towns and Mr. Fleisher work on not only the produce side of the business but of course on the huge logistics to serve every corner of Pennsylvania. Liberty sells a full line of food, including canned, fresh, frozen and grocery within its contract with W.S. Lee. Mr. Towns noted that while he first came into this program as a minority owner, he has since proven his value to W.S. Lee and "has demonstrated we are capable of handling the work. Liberty has moved away from its minority designation to be a regular partner with W.S. Lee, "which is now keeping us for the value we add as a supplier, not as a minority supplier. W.S. Lee gave us an opportunity and we kicked in the door. We bring strength to their whole program.
Mr. Towns said that Liberty takes title to the foods it sells and leases trucks to accommodate its huge logistical challenges. He credited Mr. Fleisher for his value as a produce industry consultant. "The knowledge he brings has helped us tremendously.
Mr. Towns said that his business has long been heavily oriented to serving prisons. Within the state contract, high quality and consistency are very important when supplying prisons. He noted that if one prisoner receives a larger apple than another inmate, problems can arise very quickly.
Mr. Fleisher said that the prisons tend to buy produce staples such as potatoes, onions, oranges and apples. Other state institutions buy a greater variety of fresh produce, including grapes and nectarines.
Ellis Fleisher Produce receives orders on Fridays for daily deliveries the following week, but Mr. Fleisher said that there is constant interaction asmong Fleisher Produce, Liberty, W.S. Lee and the state to adjust supplies and establish the best pricing. The state is extremely price-conscious, and one commodity can replace a similar commodity on an order list if there is a significant price difference.
Mr. Fleisher said that five weeks into this program, less than 1 percent of the 60,000 packages shipped had any quality problems.
This new business makes Mr. Fleisher anxious for the new Philadelphia wholesale market, currently scheduled for completion in 2007. He said "we'll make it with the current facility, but increasing his company's space by 50 percent in the new market will be an operational relief.
Liberty Foods is a distributor of 45 food categories, serving a region ranging from Washington, DC, to New York state.
Fleisher is providing 10,000-12,000 packages of fresh produce a week for Liberty to distribute to Pennsylvania state prisons, hospitals and other such state institutions. Schools are not currently part of this program, but Mr. Fleisher said that this status may change.
As a minority owner, Robert Towns of Liberty Foods became involved with food distributor W.S. Lee & Sons Inc. in Altoona, PA, which won the state contract to serve food to the state institutions. The state contract required minority participation. Mr. Towns, who has been involved in foodservice distribution for 20 years, has worked with Ellis Fleisher Produce Co. for many years, and asked Mr. Fleisher to be his primary fresh produce supplier.
Mr. Fleisher said that he, in turn, is supplementing his buying with many purchases on the Philadelphia Produce Center. Mr. Towns said that it became apparent that supplying institutions throughout Pennsylvania can be most-efficiently run through the Philadelphia market.
Sonny DiCrecchio, general manager of the Philadelphia Regional Produce Center, said July 13 that Philadelphia is the nation's second-largest produce market. Mr. Towns and Mr. Fleisher both indicated that the supplier options at the market make it unbeatable.
"This has meant a lot of new business for the market," Mr. Fleisher said, adding that the state used to do such supplying on a contract basis, "but [it] realized the best source was here in Philadelphia. Before, if a company in western Pennsylvania got the bid and there was a bad load of peaches or peppers, they had nowhere to replace that. Here, if we receive something that's bad, we can buy it from someone else.
Mr. Fleisher continued, "This is a good move for the state, it's good for the market, it's good for Ellis Fleisher Produce, and Liberty Foods was smart to hook up here. It's a win-win for everybody.
Mr. Towns, whose headquarters is in the Philadelphia suburb of North Wales, PA, has leased office space from Mr. Fleisher to have a location on the Philadelphia market. Liberty Foods otherwise operates from warehouses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Mr. Towns has hired a quality control professional who works from Fleisher Produce to check all outbound shipments. Mr. Fleisher said that he has added warehousing staff to handle his new volume.
The agreement between Liberty and Ellis Fleisher Produce became effective June 6. The two firms work within a three-year contract with the state, and the contract has two one-year options for renewal.
Mr. Towns and Mr. Fleisher work on not only the produce side of the business but of course on the huge logistics to serve every corner of Pennsylvania. Liberty sells a full line of food, including canned, fresh, frozen and grocery within its contract with W.S. Lee. Mr. Towns noted that while he first came into this program as a minority owner, he has since proven his value to W.S. Lee and "has demonstrated we are capable of handling the work. Liberty has moved away from its minority designation to be a regular partner with W.S. Lee, "which is now keeping us for the value we add as a supplier, not as a minority supplier. W.S. Lee gave us an opportunity and we kicked in the door. We bring strength to their whole program.
Mr. Towns said that Liberty takes title to the foods it sells and leases trucks to accommodate its huge logistical challenges. He credited Mr. Fleisher for his value as a produce industry consultant. "The knowledge he brings has helped us tremendously.
Mr. Towns said that his business has long been heavily oriented to serving prisons. Within the state contract, high quality and consistency are very important when supplying prisons. He noted that if one prisoner receives a larger apple than another inmate, problems can arise very quickly.
Mr. Fleisher said that the prisons tend to buy produce staples such as potatoes, onions, oranges and apples. Other state institutions buy a greater variety of fresh produce, including grapes and nectarines.
Ellis Fleisher Produce receives orders on Fridays for daily deliveries the following week, but Mr. Fleisher said that there is constant interaction asmong Fleisher Produce, Liberty, W.S. Lee and the state to adjust supplies and establish the best pricing. The state is extremely price-conscious, and one commodity can replace a similar commodity on an order list if there is a significant price difference.
Mr. Fleisher said that five weeks into this program, less than 1 percent of the 60,000 packages shipped had any quality problems.
This new business makes Mr. Fleisher anxious for the new Philadelphia wholesale market, currently scheduled for completion in 2007. He said "we'll make it with the current facility, but increasing his company's space by 50 percent in the new market will be an operational relief.
