NEW YORK — A powerful force in fresh produce, Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx is a wondrously dynastic place, as rich in family history as it is grit and passion for feeding fresh fruits and vegetables to some 22 million people every year.
The 112-acre campus in the Bronx, comprising approximately 30 merchants, moves more than 2.5 billion pounds of produce sourced from 49 states and 55 countries each year.
“If it grows anywhere in the world, we sell it most of the year round,” says Stefanie Katzman, executive vice president at S. Katzman Produce.
Its economic contribution is equally profound. Hunts Point Produce Market provides 2,000 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs; it receives hundreds of trucks and approximately 7,000 visitors a day as well as 150 rail cars a month. It also donates over 15 million pounds of produce annually to people in need.
But despite its vital role, the future of Hunts Point has been in limbo for years.
Its calls for government funding to revitalize the more than 56-year-old campus' aging infrastructure have been well publicized. Since 2022 Hunts Point has received three rounds of funding totaling nearly $400 million, but more is needed to fully modernize, says Phillip Grant, CEO of Hunts Point Produce Market.
“We have an approximate $250 million funding shortfall and are working with our local, state and federal partners to bridge the gap to fund the estimated $650 million total project cost,” said Grant in an email to The Packer.
Initial funding has gone toward certain climate actions, such as an ongoing “cool roof” project that involves painting Hunts Point's 800,000-square-foot roof white as well as an LED lighting project on the exterior of the building, the latter of which Grant says is largely complete.
“We are still in the process of painting the roof,” he added. “We are awaiting additional funding in conjunction with our partner the Hope Program.”
Other upgrades with an environmental upside are more involved, including building adequate refrigerated storage to replace the approximately 1,000 diesel-powered refrigerated trailer units that idle on-site.
“We're trying to be as sustainable as possible,” said Grant in September, when he and Finance Manager Alex Gomez met with The Packer at Hunts Point Market.
“We hope to get backing that will allow us to lessen our carbon footprint, be a better neighbor and better for the environment,” Gomez added.
The market is also working to meet requirements of FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act.
Another uncertainty for the storied produce market stems from its ownership. The city owns the market, a potential complication for the merchants at Hunts Point, who in addition to seeking revitalization funds are also seeking to extend their lease that ends in eight years.
Grant, who meets weekly with the city, remains optimistic on the future of Hunts Point.
“We are still optimistic and continue to work with our partners on all levels,” Grant said. “The market is a critical part of the nation's food infrastructure and must be revitalized to continue feeding the region for generations to come.”
We are family
Fourth-generation family business S. Katzman Produce has upgraded and expanded its entire facility over time, says Stefanie Katzman. In 2019, S. Katzman Produce bought out LBD Produce, a move which allowed the Katzman family to increase its footprint at Hunts Point as well as renovate and modernize its space.
Most recently, S. Katzman Produce upgraded its digital presence with a new multimedia website.
“We launched the new S. Katzman Produce website in July 2023 to more accurately capture who Katzman is today,” Katzman said. “When customers work with Katzman, they not only get access to our [more than] 2,000 fresh produce product offerings and our full range of services, but they are also supporting our greater mission to improve the health and wellness of the population through the increased access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.”
The new website was also an opportunity to spotlight the company's commitment to supporting Hunts Point's more than 15 million pounds of produce donated to people in need each year.
“When a supplier or customer works with Katzman, they are supporting our scholarship programs and the work we do to help educate students, our advocacy on behalf of the fresh produce industry, and our philanthropic work and food donations throughout our community,” Katzman said. “Working with Katzman means so much more than simply buying and selling produce, and we wanted to modernize our website to reflect this.”
E. Armata is a fast-paced and dynamic workplace. (Photo: Jennifer Strailey)
E. Armata Fruit & Produce is another fourth-generation, family-operated produce wholesaler in the Hunts Point Market that has been serving the tri-state area for over 100 years.
Started by Erasmo Armata, who came to New York from Sicily in the late 1890s and sold lemons out of a burlap bag he carried on his back, today E. Armata operates a total of 28 units in the market or about 70,000 square feet of temperature-controlled, refrigerated storage.
E. Armata has continued to invest in its business over the years, most recently, acquiring M&R Tomato Distributors Inc., also of Hunts Point Market, in mid-July.
It's a fast-paced and dynamic workplace that Michael Armata wouldn't have another way.
“If you have been working in the Hunts Point Market, chances are you love the thrill of it,” Armata told The Packer. “The prices changing rapidly, the trucks lining up to get in, the hustle and bustle on the platform — every day you wake up and hope it's busy with markets in your favor. It doesn't always go smoothly, but that's what drives me and gets me excited to come to work every day. I love the excitement and the relationships that are built in this business.”
Seventy-five-year-old D'Arrigo New York is yet another family-owned and -operated business at Hunts Point Produce Market.
“Hunts Point is an economic center for the Bronx,” says Gabriela D'Arrigo, vice president of communications and marketing. “And it's mostly family businesses, so we all have skin in the game.”
D'Arrigo New York has continued to invest in its business at Hunts Point, most recently adding an online ordering platform this summer. At the same time, D'Arrigo, who is part of the Hunts Point Produce public relations committee, continues to advocate for the market's financial needs.
The familial environment at Hunts Point also extends to many of the market's customers, says D'Arrigo.
“There's this lovely sense of camaraderie between these smaller independent [retail and foodservice operators] and wholesale companies like us,” she said. “A lot of the wholesale companies are still very much family owned, and that's what a lot of these small independents are as well. So, there's an understanding that we're building something together, and there's a trust that maybe isn't felt at larger levels where everything is corporate and follows a playbook.
“There is no playbook in wholesale,” she said. “It's new and it's changing every single day. And the bonds are a lot stronger, which I personally love.”
C and J Brothers is another family business continuing to invest in Hunts Point and hoping for the best. The business, which has been at Hunts Point Market for three decades, was started by CEO Matthew Park's father and uncle.
“We're kind of the new guys, as everyone else has been in the business for 100 years,” Park said.
In the last five to 10 years, C and J has invested in myriad renovations including new panels, refrigeration, electrical and plumbing upgrades, new pallet racks, the installation of a traditional fruit house and more, Park says.
The improvements have helped drive the business, which sells to some 40 mom and pops and 60 major chains, says Richard Armata, C and J Brothers vice president of sales, fruit and department head.
“Specializing in just produce is an advantage,” Armata said. “We're gaining market share.”
What keeps Park up at night, along with the other family businesses making upgrades to their leased facilities at Hunts Point, is the question of return on investment. Will the produce market receive the necessary funds, extend their lease and triumph?
“[The Hunts Point] redevelopment project is on everyone's mind,” Park said. “It seems like we're as close as we've ever been [to a deal]. At this point, we really need new life in here.”