Atlanta’s Unique Fresh Produce Appeal

‘Capital of the South’ showcases regional produce and flavors.

Housing a population over 1.7 million, with a major port, a thriving IT sector, and the logistics center of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — home to Delta Airlines — Atlanta represents an interesting market for anyone working in the fresh produce industry.

But beyond the statistics, Atlanta is also the natural hub for a vibrant produce industry across wider Georgia, which produces everything from pecans and blueberries to spring onions and watermelons.
Atlanta has become a unique market for fresh fruits and vegetables, given the presence of large numbers of young graduates drawn from rural communities across the state, according to Sarah Cook, director of business development at the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

“A lot of people in Atlanta were originally from other areas in the state. It’s a destination for after they graduate from college,” she says. “Many have ties to farms, and they want to take what they had growing up — that fresh, local produce grown right here in Georgia.”

“And then our retailers and restaurants are really doing the work to endorse local produce, and prepare things in traditional ways, as well as unique and different ways, creating fusions and offering fresh takes on old recipes.”

STRONG WHOLESALE PRESENCE

Another factor that makes Atlanta unique, Cook continues, is the presence of the Atlanta State Farmers Market. “That means we are able to deliver products all over the East Coast from the Atlanta market. It means chefs and foodservice distributors have easy access to fresh produce.”

Based at the Atlanta State Farmers Market, Nickey Gregory is a 25-year-old full-line, fresh produce wholesaler, re-packer and processor, which delivers overnight across 10 Southeastern states. With a diverse customer base, the company services foodservice, retail and wholesale customers with just-in-time ordering and delivery.

Nickey Gregory’s vice president of business development and marketing, Andrew Scott, describes Atlanta as a “melting pot of locals and transplants from across the world.”

“There are 13 Fortune 500 companies based in Atlanta, and with that comes employees — and their eating habits — moving into this region,” he says. “There is a good mix of independent restaurants and retailers here that compete with the chains. Atlanta’s population continues to grow as it cements its title as the Capital of the South.”

— Andrew Scott, Nickey Gregory, Atlanta, GA

Although headquartered in Pompano Beach, FL, grower, importer, processor and distributor Southern Specialties operates facilities in Arizona, McAllen, TX, and Atlanta, GA. With distribution throughout the U.S., the company’s vice president of business development, Charlie Eagle, says Southern Specialties’ emphasis is on “areas east of Texas.”

One such area is Atlanta, where Southern Specialties supplies a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to restaurant, hotel and retail customers.

“Atlanta is a base for Delta Airlines, which provides direct flights to most cities in the U.S., which makes it an ideal place for anyone looking to visit customers and prospective customers,” says Eagle. “The city is also an important landing spot for produce that Southern Specialties brings to market, and we have a strong customer base in Atlanta.”

One of the newest arrivals in the Atlanta produce industry is marketer-distributor Anthony Marano, a Chicago, IL-headquartered business that now oversees a growing presence in the Atlanta area.

According to president and chief business officer Damon Marano, Anthony Marano made the decision to invest in Atlanta after identifying a clear opportunity for growth, which at the same time would allow the company to “create better life opportunities” for its employees and their families.

“After 70+ years in Chicago, my brother and I said, ‘let’s go where there’s a market,’ and Atlanta called our name,” he explains. “Now, with the way the country is booming, we see that Atlanta is the gateway to the Southeast, and we’re excited to be part of that.

“Atlanta is definitely a new culture. Understanding the South and how vastly different this country is from one side to the next is important to us. One part I love is how relationship-based they are — people in Atlanta really value relationships.”

Anthony Marano now has two facilities in the Atlanta area: a 76,000 square foot distribution center in the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Part, GA, and a 153,000 square foot value-added complex in nearby Conley, GA, which includes banana ripening rooms, and a repacking service.

Marano describes Atlanta as a growth-oriented, logistics-driven market with a huge amount of population diversity and ethnicities from all over the globe. This factor, he says, gives companies like Anthony Marano the opportunity to bring people products that “remind them of back home.”

At the same time, he says having a base in Atlanta gives Anthony Marano access to customers in the Florida Panhandle, the Deep South, and eastern coastal regions. “These types of regions don’t exist in the Midwest, and there’s a lot more to learn from that,” Marano adds.

BECOMING A ‘ONE-STOP SHOP’

When it comes to succeeding in new markets — whether it be Atlanta or elsewhere — Marano says it’s important to get to know your customers, learn what their needs are, and understand what challenges they might need solving.

Anthony Marano’s focus, he continues, is on being a “one-stop shop,” where they can serve all a company’s needs, from banana ripening to produce packaging, and even source more unusual items for the region’s growing ethnic populations.

“Our goal is looking at how do we increase the revenue in our customers’ produce area,” he says. “We find that when our customers win at produce and their customers are excited to shop with them, we win. It’s a great method for how we hope to serve the people of Atlanta.”

Now in its 33rd year in business, exotic fruits and specialty vegetable supplier Coosemans Atlanta continues to adapt to the ever-changing environment and business, according to the company’s general manager of operations, Bryan Thornton.

“We work with new adaptations to food safety requirements,” he says. “Customers wants and needs keep us evolving.”

In terms of the key to running a successful produce business in Atlanta, Thornton says it is vital to “know your market” and to continue to adapt as that market evolves.

“Every market has its own diverse population and eating habits continually change,” he explains. “We focus on keeping moving forward, never stopping evolving, and remembering we always need solid customer service.”

According to Eagle, Southern Specialties sources from 10 countries across the Americas, operating significant programs from Guatemala, Mexico, and the U.S. itself. Asparagus accounts for Southern Specialties’ biggest product by volume, with the company the largest importer of asparagus from Peru, and among the largest from Mexico.

“Our facility offers customers private label packaging programs, as well as custom fresh-cut products,” Eagle adds.

Describing wholesalers like Nickey Gregory as the “ambulance service to the produce industry,” Scott says suppliers provide customers with short buys, cross-docking, fresh cut/processing, forecasting, merchandising, as well as peace of mind. And, he says “business is good” after a slow start to 2025.

PROMOTING GEORGIA

For Nickey Gregory, Scott says a key differentiator in Atlanta is a focus on “Georgia Grown” products when in season. “We are proud platinum sponsors of the Georgia Grown program and promote locally grown often to our customer base,” he explains.

In fact, the “Georgia Grown” brand and label is one of the most recognizable ways the Georgia Department of Agriculture supports local growers at a statewide level, and Cook says this work is increasingly paying dividends at a consumer level.

“We’ve done a lot of work over the past decade and a half to try to influence consumers to be cognizant of the Georgia Grown brand,” she says.

“We’re really trying to influence people to look for that Georgia Grown brand when they’re shopping, and identify with local by letting them know what’s fresh, what’s in season, and what’s produced locally.”

Another factor in the Georgia Grown program’s success has been its partnerships with retailers and Atlanta chefs.

“We have a Georgia Grown chef program where we have chef ambassadors who put forward a concerted effort to source locally and highlight Georgia products in their menus,” explains Cook. “They do a great job switching out their menus to highlight what’s available in Georgia, so when it’s peach season, they feature peaches throughout the menu, not just in the dessert section, but also in dressed salads and entrées.”

Cook describes the program as having a “multi-pronged approach,” with an ecosystem of supporters and partners, which is helping drive higher demand in the Atlanta region.

Marano agrees that “locally grown” is a key differentiator in Atlanta, and a factor which makes it decidedly different from Chicago. “Local is way bigger in Georgia than it is in Illinois or the Midwest,” he says. “Agriculture is their No. 1 industry, and seeing the kind of enthusiasm they have is great.”

Having two seasons, Marano continues, is another element that makes Georgia as a whole different. “With two seasons, we can pull product from local farms for the spring and the fall,” he says. “That’s so exciting to represent these companies the right way. It’s a win-win for all: it gives consumers better value, and then returns the money right back to the farmers so they can produce more in the state. It’s nice to be part of that.”

COMPETING MARKETS AND THE TARIFF THREAT

For Atlanta produce companies bringing in produce from overseas, one potential challenge could be the threat of the Trump Administration’s import tariffs. Although Eagle concedes many of Southern Specialties’ products could fall into this category, he also sounds a note of caution. “We’re still waiting to see what the effect will be. Right now, we’re still in a holding pattern waiting to see how all this will play out.”

Scott says Nickey Gregory hasn’t encountered too many supply chain challenges when it comes to bringing products from growing regions to customers. “From time to time, we’ll have some tight markets, but overall, we haven’t faced any issues,” he says.

For Cook at the department of agriculture, challenges will always exist in the form of competing markets. “We always have to face challenges from competing markets. Any time there is a similar growing region in a different area, we are always encouraging our consumers to support local and make sure they reach for locally produced products first.”

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Georgia Peaches Exported to Mexico for the First Time in Nearly Three Decades

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper announced June 20, in coordination with Genuine Georgia and Atlanta-based Reveam, that Georgia Grown peaches have been exported to Mexico for the first time in 27 years.

Mexico has had strict import restrictions on peaches produced in the southeastern United States due to pest concerns since 1994. Reveam’s proprietary, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-approved Electronic Cold-Pasteurization (ECP) technology enabled Genuine Georgia to meet Mexico’s strict import requirements and ship 42,000 pounds of Georgia Grown peaches south to Mexico.

This achievement represents an important step forward toward opening more markets for Georgia producers and reducing barriers to international trade.

“Expanding access to reliable markets for Georgia producers is absolutely critical to ensure the continued success of our state’s No. 1 industry and our farm families,” says Harper. “The partnership between Genuine Georgia and Reveam is a win for Georgia farmers and a blueprint for how our industry can use cutting-edge technology, like Reveam’s Electronic Cold-Pasteurization process, to break down barriers to international trade, exceed international food safety standards, and reduce food waste.”

“This is about more than just opening market access. It’s a transformation of what’s possible for Georgia and southeastern agriculture,” says Reveam co-founder and chief regulatory officer, Chip Starns. “Our ECP technology is giving Georgia growers the opportunity to reach new consumers, reduce waste, and meet the most rigorous international standards.”

“There are a lot of peach eaters in Mexico, and a lot of them would love to have those Georgia peaches,” says Duke Lane, president, Georgia Peach Council. “To give you a perspective of how many potential peach eaters are down there, you’ve got 22 million people in Mexico City and the surrounding areas. All of a sudden, we’re now bringing on another 20-plus million customers.”

Georgia last exported peaches to Mexico in 1994, when Mexican officials imposed a ban due to concerns about the potential spread of invasive pests. Since then, Georgia peach growers have been working in close coordination with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the USDA, and Mexican agricultural authorities to develop and implement rigorous new protocols to meet Mexico’s phytosanitary standards.

A breakthrough in reopening the market came with the implementation of ECP by Reveam. The USDA-approved process uses electron beam technology to eliminate pests and pathogens without chemicals or heat, helping maintain the quality and shelf life of fresh peaches while meeting Mexico’s strict import requirements.