How E Armata Fruit & Produce aims for quality

E Armata Fruit & Produce Inc., a full-service, family-owned wholesaler on New York’s Hunts Point Produce Market, aims to offer its customers high-quality fruits and vegetables at fair prices, said Mike Armata, a fourth-generation buyer.

Potatoes, onions and carrots will be big movers around the holidays, he said, but the company takes special pride in its tomato operation.

“We’re very competitive with tomatoes,” Armata said.

The category started expanding as consumers began to seek particular varieties for specific uses.

Last year, E Armata acquired M&R Tomato Distributors Inc. on the market and put new emphasis on the category.

“We wanted [tomatoes] off trailers in a facility so we can look at them and check the color out for our customers and really service them the right way,” Armata said.

The company lists beefsteak, cherry, grape, orange, yellow, roma and specialty tomatoes among its options, and Armata said offerings include hothouse-grown and gas-green product.

Tomatoes are a great item to feature because they’re popular among retail customers as well as foodservice operators, he said.

The company also has a strong berry department.

Strawberries were still arriving from California in mid-November and were expected to begin out of Florida soon.

“Strawberries are a very nice item to have in the front of the store to attract customers,” Armata said. E Armata also offers blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and a few other varieties.

The wholesaler, which is more than 100 years old, has 200 employees and occupies 28 units on the Hunts Point Produce Market with 70,000 square feet of refrigerated storage space. E Armata serves the entire tristate area, and a little beyond, Armata said. Quality is a must.

“Our salespeople look at everything on a daily basis,” so they’re able to provide customers with accurate information about anything they’re looking to buy, he said.

“We’re doing everything we possibly can to do the job right,” Armata said.