Baldor Boston continually expanding conventional, organic and specialty lines
by Christina DiMartino | October 27, 2014
“We’ve been super-busy here at our Boston location,” Glenn Messinger, general manager of Baldor Boston told The Produce News. “We simply do not have a slow season.”
Its parent company, Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx, NY, is a leading distributor of a full line of conventional, organic and specialty foods, and it feeds the Boston facility with the same high-quality products it offers its customers further south.
Glenn Messinger, general manager of Baldor Boston.The Boston operation opened in 2006. Messinger was previously working at the Bronx facility but transferred to Boston in 2007.
He said that the Boston location continually expands its lineup of food products.
“We have somewhere around 3,000 SKUs now,” he said. “And we’re continually adding to all of the lines.”
In addition to produce specialties, the company carries virtually enough food categories to fill a grocery store. These include dairy products, dry goods, spices and condiments, dried herbs and spices, pastry items, meats, Indian specialties, seafood products and beverages.
As with its line of products, Baldor is also continually adding to its staff.
“We’ve added some new drivers and we continually increase our night crew,” said Messinger. “About eight months ago our head purchaser from the New York office, Teddy Ceasar, came to Boston and assumed the role of director of purchasing. Teddy has been with Baldor for over seven years.”
He also noted the company does a major business in the overall greater Boston area, but it is growing rapidly in Rhode Island and even as far north as Portland, ME.
“We just keep expanding further and further,” Messinger noted.
In May 2014, Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods, told The Produce News that the company had officially announced the opening of its Washington, DC, location.
“D.C. will service clients in a 120-mile radius,” said Muzyk. “Our Boston facility services from Southern Maine to Hartford, CT, also a 120-mile distance. Our Bronx location follows suit; we cover everything north to where the Boston facility stops, and south to where the D.C. facility’s range ends in the Philadelphia area. Now these three 120-mile radius circles touch, and our footprint is from Maine to northern Virginia.”
But Baldor is thinking much further ahead. Muzyk said it is considering opening further south, perhaps in Atlanta or Florida, at some point in the future.
Messinger said that like in other Baldor areas, the Boston branch’s ethnic line of produce is popular today, with demand showing no sign of slowing.
“Ethnic greens, spices, pastes, such as chili paste are all in high demand,” he said.
The foodservice sector is Baldor Boston’s primary customer segment, but it is growing in other directions. It now services two retailers from the Boston facility.
“We are also doing very well with organics and we continue to see strong growth in the category,” said Messinger. “Although organics do demand a premium, consumers are becoming more aware of the advantages and buying more. Retailers are responding to this by paying more attention to their organic sections and many foodservice operators are adding organic options to their menus. We expect the organic category to continue to grow.”
Baldor Boston sources around 50 percent of its product from Baldor in the Bronx, including imported items. It sources the other 50 percent f.o.b. and from local producers.
Baldor Specialty Foods — in all of its locations — has always been known for its generosity to those in need and its intent on better health and nutrition.
“We support two food banks in the Boston area,” said Messinger. “One is Lovin’ Spoonfuls and the other is the Greater Boston Food Bank. We work a lot with healthy lifestyle groups that have athletic events for which we provide food. We get a request a week on average. We’re always contributing in any way possible.”
Like its parent company, Baldor Boston carries all of the top produce brands, including Ocean Mist, Driscoll’s, Andy Boy and many others. And all of the Baldor Specialty Foods’ locations stay way ahead of the curve on specialty produce, customer service, timely delivery and food safety.