Over 90 years ago, Frank Gargiulo opened a business selling fruits and vegetables door to door.
Now Gargiulo Produce is based in a warehouse in Hillside, New Jersey, and in its fourth generation of family ownership. It sells food by the truckloads to companies all along the East Coast and to cruise ships that travel around the world.
That was before the coronavirus changed the economy. With many of the company’s commercial accounts going on hiatus, Gargiulo needed to find a way to get its produce directly into the hands of hungry people in the New Jersey area.
The company turned to various Facebook groups to see if there was any interest in picking up fruits and vegetables straight from its warehouse. Gargiulo started posting menus on Facebook and taking old-fashioned phone orders. The response was overwhelming and Gargiulo is evolving to meet demand.
Check out this video to learn about other ways the company is adapting, and for firsthand experiences of how the process works.
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