Ryeco takes on additional space, starts new import program, expands fleet and more
Ryeco LLC, located on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, has entered into a joint venture agreement with Paterson Pickle Co., also known as Paterson Produce, previously located in unit B-4 on the market.
Filindo Colace, vice president of operations for Ryeco, told The Produce News that the company has taken over the Paterson Pickle’s unit B-4 lease.
“All of Patterson Pickle’s products are now being marketed out of the Ryeco location,” said Colace. “This agreement adds to our line and will help to streamline and grow sales and distribution opportunities in our existing delivery regions and beyond.”
Filindo Colace, vice president of operations for Ryeco, located on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. Also new and exciting news at Ryeco is its entry into imports. Colace explained that the company is importing from numerous foreign countries.
“Our import product line is comprised of persimmons, lemons, kiwi, dragon fruit, Korean pears, mangos, herbs, limes, oranges, apples, dates and much more,” he said.
“We will be adding to the line going forward. Ryeco has evolved into a full line supplier in recent years, and we continue to develop our product lines so supermarkets can get their entire SKU list from us,” Colace added.
The company has a loyal staff of highly experienced sales representatives.
It includes Jeff Paglione, David Braine, Steve Levchenco, Brian Beckmann, Joe Rossi and Sean Storey. Jay Betancourt, also in sales, joined the company in October 2017.
“Jay is helping us to grow our pickle program and Mexican specialties’ line,” said Colace. “James (DC) Coltrell and Butch Storey handle night sales. And, of course, we are all supported by our fearless leader, company president, Mike Reilly.”
The company has also taken logistics’ challenges by the horn. Colace explained that Ryeco started its fleet in fall 2016 so it could better serve its customers who don’t come to the market.
“We started our own fleet so we do not have to depend on third-party trucking and to protect our cold-chain for food-safety purposes,” he said. “We began with three trucks and have expanded to 12, and we’ll be growing it more. The fleet also helps us to expand our customer base, which runs from Massachusetts to Virginia, and includes customers of all sizes, scopes and types.”
He stressed that another, and important, reason for Ryeco to have its own fleet the new electronic laws that went into effect last December.
“The laws are making transportation more difficult, and we’re figuring out how to use our own fleet as an opportunity in this challenging time,” he pointed out.
In helping to assure the company’s growth, evolvement and success, in 2016 Ryeco updated its software with Produce Pro — a fully integrated, customized software solutions and training program.
“Produce Pro was the first step in getting Ryeco into E-commerce,” explained Colace.
“We are presently building our website to educate customers and enable them to order products online,” he continued. “The software gives them the ability to understand data and gives us the ability to understand their needs.”
Ryeco is very happy being on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. Colace said it gives the company’s customers a better opportunity to increase gross profits because the unbroken cold chain ensures better product quality.
“We continue to enjoy and to benefit from all it has to offer,” he said. “Business has increased with the majors because this facility is extremely clean, safe and secure. It’s a great place to do business.”
Ryeco continues to do strong business with California vegetables and tomatoes.
“Our customers know that they can rely on us every day of the year for the highest quality, freshest produce and the best possible service,” stressed Colace.
