Pexco Produce Sales is notching up the positives.

J.T. Guida, president of Pexco Produce Sales in Pompano Beach, FL, said the company has held onto its superior rating of 98 percent from Primus Labs since its first rating several years ago.

The company also started a value-added program in the past few years.

“We pack okra into one-pound clamshells with our ‘Pexco’ label on the package,” said Mr. Guida. “We also pack two-pound mixed colored peppers. There are four green, one yellow and one red pepper to each package, also with the ‘Pexco’ label. Both of these programs have been highly successful for us.”

The company recently completed what Mr. Guida said was a very successful strawberry season in Plant City, FL, and that it is expecting a strong Southern vegetable program from Plant City, which will start in early April.

Pexco is a fully integrated company. It procures, grows, markets, consolidates and provides full-service logistics. It also consolidates for major retail chain stores and purveyors.

“No order is too big or too small for us,” said Mr. Guida. “Our consolidation and distribution facility in Moultrie, GA, continues to expand to include more growers. We have operated this facility for several years with great success. It runs our vegetable line during June and July, and then again in September, October and part of November.”

Pexco is relatively dormant during July, August and September, but its Plant City facility is open all year to accommodate local Florida customers.

“Andy Schaibly is the general manager of our Plant City facility,” said Mr. Guida. “He oversees the entire operation, which handles strawberries and Florida vegetables. He’s been with us for about eight years, but he has worked with us on and off for about 40 years.

“Mike Peace is the Plant City director of sales,” he continued. “We represent a couple of strawberry farms in both the Plant City and Ruskin areas for seasonal supplies of strawberries.”

Mike Stanley is the operations manager of Pexco’s Pompano facility. Michael Yates is now the company’s director of sales. Clinton Stanley, Mike Stanley’s nephew, oversees quality control for the firm. Bill Nangle is the company’s food safety director. He joined the staff last year.

Pexco expanded its pre-cooling operation in Plant City to about 30,000-square-feet during the past several years. It also installed a new holding cooler. The unit is used to accommodate the increasing demand from chain retailers.

The company follows the seasons northward from south Florida in the winter and then on to central and north Florida in the spring and early summer before transitioning into Georgia.

“We start shipping out of the southern areas on approximately April 15, and we ship all the way through to July 4,” said Mr. Guida. “We are concentrating on expanding our year round movement out of Plant City. And we are handling some short loads.”

He explained that a short load is when a store has underestimated its need of cabbage, as an example, or has had to reject product due to poor condition. The company will call on Pexco to fill in it needs.

“We are always looking for new high-quality products to add to our line, and we continue to expand with new customers who want to utilize our consolidation services,” said Mr. Guida. “Our customer base is 70 percent chainstores and purveyors, and about 30 percent wholesalers.”