“It is nice to pick up new business,” Bruce Klein, director of marketing for Maurice A. Auerbach, located in Secaucus, NJ, told The Produce News. “But our priority has always been to first service our existing, loyal customer bank. We have many customers in New England, and the New England Produce Council’s annual Produce and Floral Expo provides us with a great opportunity to meet with produce buyers and managers whom we would otherwise seldom have the opportunity to see.”

Excellent service is one of the principles on which Maurice A. Auerbach has based its business. The other principle has been to always offer top quality produce. The firm is a third-generation family-owned business that started distributing garlic during World War II. In the 1970s, it expanded its product line to include a variety of produce sourced from around the world. It specializes in garlic, shallots and other specialty items, including tropical and Asian produce, and it handles organic garlic, shallots and tofu. Today it is the largest garlic and specialty produce distributor in the Northeast. The company packs its products under the “AuerPak” brand name.

Visitors at the 2013 NEPC Produce and Flora Expo, scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston can view the entire Maurice A. Auerbach line of products at booth number 335. Besides Mr. Klein, the company will be represented at the show by Paul Auerbach, company president, and Ian Zimmerman, plant manager.

“Our entire product portfolio will be on display,” said Mr. Klein. “And our goal at the show is to solidify our existing customer bank before we try to grab new business. Every company hopes to get new business, but our main goal is to take care of the customers we already service.”

He added that the company sees many of its customers at the NEPC Expo.

“This show gives us a chance to see many of our New England customers, and in many cases it is the only venue that provides us with that opportunity,” said Mr. Klein. “Many produce managers from throughout New England attend this show, and they are the ones who have the contact with consumers. Meeting with them on a face-to-face basis teaches us a lot about what they need to better service their customers. It might be a new bag size or a trend that consumers are following. Whatever it is, we always appreciate the opportunity to listen and learn from them in order to be able to better service them in the future.”

In fall 2011, Maurice A. Auerbach moved into its new, cutting edge facility in Secaucus. Mr. Klein said that the kinks have been worked out and that the facility is providing the company with the space, the high technology and cleanliness that handling fresh produce demands today. The 60,000-square-foot facility has 45,000 square feet of refrigeration and an unbroken cold chain. The construction also offers enhanced sustainability. The new building accommodates the company’s food-safety initiatives and leaves room for future programs related to food safety and traceability.

“It is also highly secure,” he added. “It’s a bit like getting into Fort Knox, but working in the new building has been a true pleasure. We are benefiting tremendously from the increased efficiencies we now have. The location is also terrific for anyone driving in, especially from New Jersey, because it’s literally just over the bridge.”