By
Ellen Walsh
Hayward,
CA: Despite well documented challenges California businesses
in general continue to face, long standing businesses
in the foodservice sector continue to grow. Pucci Foods,
(formerly Joe Pucci and Sons Seafood Company), seafood
distributor since 1918 in the Greater Bay area, has
just completed a move that took the company from their
Oakland warehouse and distribution center, to a brand
new, state of the art facility in Hayward.
“We
had outgrown our facility and were struggling with just
the concept of what it would take to double the size
of our facility,”said Chris Lam, President and
CEO of the well known seafood distribution center. “This
was not just the logistical planning for an increased
size facility, it was a very important step towards
state of the art food safety, label of origin issues,
and traceability that today's modern world of food safety
calls for. The task was monumental. But we had a loyal
core group of over 1000 restaurants and stores that
ordered from us, and we knew if we upgraded our facility
to include these safety issues along with more center
of the plate items, that we would continue to be essential
to them. I guess now would be a good time to thank them
all for their patience, as some of the logistics we
encountered were breathtakingly difficult.
Expanding
his concept to include sustainably harvested seafood
and other high end naturally raised protein center of
the plate items such as Natural Black Angus, and Kobe
Beef, Lam envisioned a distribution center which would
service his growing clientele for well into the future.
“Once
you make the decision to do the expansion, then all
the other things you want to do come into play. We wanted
to be able to advise our customers as to which products
were sustainable and well managed, such as Alaskan Halibut
and Wild Salmon. This then led to other high end items
we knew our clients either wanted to order, or were
already ordering, such as naturally raised beef, pork
and lamb. It wasn't about becoming a full service distributor,
it was about filling out the protein, or center of the
plate concept, and providing well informed representatives
who could help their restaurant clients work with whatever
parameters they had.”Said Lam.
As
a leader in the seafood industry, catering to clients
who are more environmentally conscious has led Lam to
balance the information they offer to clients by cementing
relationships with various environmentally conscious
groups. Armed with charts and posters on sustainably
harvested seafood, Lam welcomes a new world of seafood
consciousness, and customers who want to tap into this
kind of awareness and menu planning.
It
was a busy morning long before the sun came up, as the
17 delivery trucks left for their routes throughout
the Greater Bay area. As fishing seasons go, it was
the height of crab season. We watched as thousands of
pounds of fresh crab were loaded up and sent out to
restaurants, stores and non profit organizations along
with the hundreds of other items that would be found
on menus throughout the Bay Area.. As we stood outside
the 53,000 state-of-the-art square foot facility we
had just toured, Chris Lam gestured to his newly built
empire with the love of a shepherd who has taken care
of his flock.
“I
have built this facility with attention and care to
what I believe are the needs of the future! Chris Lam
said as he gestured to his newly built facility. “I
welcome my customers now with welcome arms!”
PucciFoods
is a full service center of the plate distributor servicing
the Greater Bay Area since 1917. Providing the finest
in seafood, naturally raised poultry, beef and produce,
PucciFoods is an environmentally conscious company offering
both fresh and frozen product solutions to their valued
clients.
For a
consultation on your seafood needs,
call
Chris at PucciFoods 510
444-3769
www.puccifoods.com
