Rice Fruit and Hunts Point: A beautiful relationship
Rice Fruit and Hunts Point: A beautiful relationship
Rice Fruit Co. is one of the eastern fruit shippers that works steadily with a wholesale distributor in the Hunts Point Market.
John Rice, who heads sales, said he finds the New York City market an excellent outlet for its fruit.
“We ship about two-million boxes of apples, and 200,000 boxes of peaches to the city,” said Rice. “And we ship there 12 months a year. The New York market is one of our best, and has been for more than 40 years.”
Rice Fruit deals exclusively with D’Arrigo Bros., one of the largest houses on the NY market.
Rice noted that D’Arrigo Bros. provides it with access to every major retailer in the region.
Equally important, D’Arrigo gives Rice Fruit access to every small retailer and fruit market in every neighborhood in the city and surrounding areas. It services areas where many first and second generation immigrants live, and, Rice pointed out, produce plays an extremely important part of their diets, and even their day-to-day culture.
“Delicious fresh fruit is something these people value highly,” said Rice. “Many small retailers and green grocers are extremely label conscious. If they find a shipper that has consistently excellent fruit, they will ask for that label every time they go to the Hunts Point Market.”
“We send a truck to the Hunts Point Market nearly every day of the year,” he added.
Buyers at Hunts Point, Rice noted, are always looking for a bargain because many stores serve shoppers with limited budgets and few dollars for luxuries.
“If we have fruit with lower color or in smaller sizes, but at a lower price, we find a market in the city and region,” said Rice. “D’Arrigo does a fantastic job for us. It often seems they’re able sell to absolutely anyone within 100 miles of New York. And they have a sterling reputation for honesty. How could a company like Rice Fruit have a better customer than that?”
