nov-2017c

46 47 MERCHANTS MARKET GROUP Badia Spices grew out of the love between fa- ther and son to create a legacy that will last for generations. In 1967, the Badia family had been in the United States for only one year when José Badia opened a small corner store at Southwest First Street and 22nd Avenue. In this humble establishment, the Badia Spices brand was es- tablished. Joseph “Pepe” Badia joined his fa- ther to help grow the day-to-day operations and manage the store. This decision was the cata- lyst for the market growth of the Badia Spices legacy. In the 70’s Badia Spices saw growth in the Mi- ami market. The spices were being used and featured in local stores and bodegas around the surrounding areas. Customer demand for the products grew until the company expanded into supermarket chains in the South Florida area. The spices were not just in demand in the His- panic community, the brand quickly became popular among the general market. As the brand expanded, Pepe led the charge for broadening their product lines ensuring a quality product at affordable prices. These calculated risks paid off when the company expanded nationally and globally with a dedicated workforce backing them all the way. Fifty years later Badia Spices has products being sold in markets across the United States and in 78 countries. Badia Spices, a Fifty-Year Journey For more information, contact sales@badiaspices.com or call 305.629.8000 or visit BadiaSpices.com. In 1974, the company expanded into St. Croix. “We opened the consolidating warehouse in Florida in 1975.”Wilson continues.“And then we opened the operation in St.Maarten in 1985; and then in Anguilla in 1993.We service a number of other islands such as St. Barts,Turks & Caicos,Tortola, and Virgin Gorda with direct ship containers.The Flor- ida facility, now located at the Port of Palm Beach, serves as the procurement and consolidation facility supplying our island distributors,who then serve all customers on each island from resorts and hotels, to local and chain restaurants, to the beach bars, “mom and pop” restaurants, hospitals, schools, and other government agencies. Each facility has gone through upgrades and renovations to establish Merchants Market as the leading broadline distrib- utor with over 200,000 square feet of warehouse space dedicated to servicing the USVI and Leeward Islands.We have 140 employees, and this year we are celebrating our 50th anniversary.” Wilson says that the company’s primary custom- er base is restaurants, hotels, and resorts.“We do service some grocery stores,”he explains,“but our primary focus is the major food service operations. Grocery stores, in general, buy from a different supply source because the pack size of the products that are used in restaurants is different than what you would buy to take home. So we are focused on food service operations such as restaurants, hotels, and resorts.” While Merchants Market is not the only food service provider in the region,Wilson points out the company’s many competitive advantages.“Over the years,we’ve had competition that has serviced every