Last updated on December 7th, 2020 at 02:51 pm
Bronx, New York-based Baldor Specialty Foods, one of the largest wholesale importers and distributors of fresh produce and specialty foods in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, said for the first time in its history it will make its inventory of food available directly to consumers within a 50-mile radius of its Bronx headquarters for at-home delivery. The decision was in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Baldor said the goal of the new consumer service is to help alleviate grocery store food shortages and provide a convenient delivery service for consumers staying put at home. With a minimum order of $250 (tax and delivery included), Baldor is opening access for consumers to purchase the foods they need the most -including fresh produce, meat and poultry, dairy, and other food staples, so they can avoid running out to the store and potentially expose themselves to the virus. The service will be available until the end of this health crisis.
The 28-year-old wholesaler has served restaurants and foodservice establishments exclusively up to this point. The company plans to leverage the combined power of its e-commerce site, large fleet of trucks, drivers, food processing facility, as well as its network of farms and specialty food vendors to serve consumers.
Baldor’s e-commerce site will make its vast inventory available to the 18.5 million people who live in the zip codes within a 50-mile radius of Baldor’s headquarters in the Bronx. Orders made before midnight will be delivered the next day.
“At its heart, Baldor has always been about family and community,” said Baldor CEO TJ Murphy. “With a state-of-the-art food distribution chain already in place, it only makes sense to put it to good use, delivering our high-quality produce and specialty items to the consumers staying at home, doing their part to thwart the pandemic by practicing social distancing and isolation.”
Baldor employees will make the home deliveries while on route to and from the local restaurants and foodservice establishments they continue to service.
“We have never considered doing this before,” said Murphy. “But in times of crisis, everything must be put on the table and considered. Our main priority is to provide food to the communities we serve—and we will do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
