A third-generation, family-owned food wholesaler that started selling fresh fruits and vegetables door-to-door from a pushcart when Teddy Roosevelt was president has remained in business for 113 years by paying close attention to what consumers want.
One of the latest trends B. Giambrone & Co. is seeing is its customers’ preference for organic foods. The Market at Global Village, a grocery store on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, recently began selling organic vegetables, fruits, fruit juices and vegetable juices. The products are popular among college students and health-conscious people, says Ben Giambrone, president and co-owner of Rochester, New York-based wholesale grocery distributor B. Giambrone & Co.
“Organic is popular with kids in colleges,” explains Giambrone, who first noticed organic foods growing in popularity in the retail end of the grocery industry 10 years ago. The demand on wholesalers has been slower to develop.
The growing popularity of organic food products has been sparked by a desire for a healthier, more nutritious diet. B. Giambrone stocks more than 200 organic food items at its 20,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse.
There are two types of organic products – certified organic and 100% organic. “Certified organic” means that produce is free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers and dyes, and are never processed using industrial solvents, irradiation or genetic engineering. “One hundred percent organic” designation means the product must contain 70% or more organic ingredients, or the USDA seal cannot be used anywhere on the package.
B. Giambrone also distributes frozen fruits, gourmet pastas, frozen desserts and specialty meats, cheeses and dairy products throughout a 60-mile radius of Rochester.
Another trend Giambrone sees is the increased demand for locally grown and value-added foods. Customers prefer buying fresh lettuce from a local farmer instead of buying it after it has been shipped across the country, he says.
Value-added products such as freshly made meals or entrees that can be picked up at the supermarket are also becoming increasingly popular. In many couple’s households, both partners work and neither might have time to cook.
“It used to be that only the husband worked, and when he got home dinner was on the table,” Giambrone says. “But that has changed.”
Value-added products are also gaining popularity because families have a little more money to spend, says Giambrone, who noted the company is constantly testing new products to keep pace with customer preferences.
Giambrone’s grandparents, Benedetto and Francesca Giambrone, founded the company in 1904. Ben began working at the company when he was 12 and now runs the company with his brother Joseph. The firm employs 25 people and counts schools, hospitals, restaurants, hotels and private clubs among its clients.
