Much of what’s brought in will be local. “With this addition, we want to use as much local food as possible as it comes in and out of season," president Jim Osterhaven told Rapid Growth. “It plays to our strength of being a fresh food supplier. We are local and can buy from smaller, local producers, whether its cooking oils from Zeeland or specialty cheeses made in Lakeview...We are trying to partner with as many local people as we can."
Superior, which has been in business for more than 75 years, established itself as a key player wholesale food distributor in the seafood and meat business, servicing customers from restaurants to college cafeterias. While the business formula has been successful, Osterhaven said it is time to branch out into dairy and produce, especially given the proximity of farmers to Superior’s facilities south of Grand Rapids.
According to the Rapid Growth report, Superior already works with nearly two dozen suppliers of seasonal foods, including dried beans, cherries, fresh herbs, corn, asparagus, yellow and zucchini squash, potatoes and tomatoes.
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