History
CREATION: 1900’s –1920’s
Joseph Fierman immigrated to New York and had to quickly find a way to support his family’s new life in America.
Like many other new immigrants, he became a pushcart peddler in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
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However, Joseph wanted to grow from being just a pushcart peddler by making Fierman a household name. To achieve his goal, Joseph began innovating his business by devoting himself to specializing in onions.
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Over the next few years, Joseph embarked on a journey across the United States and Mexico to find the best onion farmers. His contagious energy and respect for the onions and farmers forged everlasting bonds which allowed Joseph to provide the highest quality and most diverse range of onions to the people of New York.
Eventually, Joseph’s perseverance paid off, and with the help of his son Irving, he outgrew his small pushcart operation and officially opened his own shop in the Washington Street Market, Joseph Fierman & Son Inc.
EXPANSION: 1930'S
Joseph Fierman & Son experienced great success by mastering the onion commodity trade in New York. However, Joseph wasn’t content and was ready for a new challenge, potatoes. Joseph applied the same strategy as he did for onions and was able to further expand his business by partnering with the best potato farmers from around the country.
INNOVATION: 1940'S-1950'S
Even though Joseph had a strong domestic network to source his onions, he noticed that one of the largest onion producers in the country, Upstate New York, was right in his backyard and was not being utilized to its full capabilities.
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As New York provided Joseph with the opportunity to achieve the American Dream, he was extremely passionate about supporting the local farmers, most of which were immigrants as well.
Through common goals and values, Joseph befriended the local onion farmers and formed a new, fresh, and local onion distribution outlet for the local farmers. These partnerships continued to grow and led to him opening a plant in Goshen, NY to pack onions for consumers.
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As Joseph Fierman & Son’s consumer onion packing plant grew, so did Joseph’s desire to increase the potato distribution operation. Hence, a consumer potato packing plant was opened in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
RELOCATION: 1967
Washington Street Market closed, so Joseph Fierman & Son moved to the new NYC Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY to continue its potato and onion distribution operation. At the same time, the potato packing plant was relocated from its Upper East Side location to the NYC Terminal Market.
REVITALIZATION: 1970'S-1980'S
Immediately following the start of his career, Irving’s son, Joel Fierman, was eager to provide his fresh perspective to ensure the highest quality of produce and customer service to continue the legacy of his predecessor’s success.
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He quickly integrated new warehouse technology, introduced state-of-the-art packing machines, and implemented best practices. These modifications quickly increased efficiency and allowed operations to significantly scale without jeopardizing customer satisfaction and product quality.
ADAPTATION: 1990'S-2000'S
Joel analyzed how specialty houses in the NYC Terminal Market were becoming obsolete and understood the company needed to adapt to the market by expanding their product offering to a full vegetable line. Possessing the same innovative spirit as his grandfather Joseph, Joel traveled the country in search of creating strong partnerships with the best vegetable suppliers. After forging these bonds, Joel successfully expanded the company’s offering to be the best full line produce selection in the Northeast.
ADVANCEMENT: 2010'S-NOW
The fourth generation of the Fierman family has seamlessly embraced the enduring vision that Joseph envisioned a century ago. Upholding the commitment to continuous improvement, they remain steadfast in delivering the utmost quality produce and unparalleled customer service. Meticulously analyzing current operations, the newest members of the family are dedicated to eliminating bottlenecks through the integration of cutting-edge, innovative solutions. In this ever-evolving landscape, they embody a timeless dedication to excellence while embracing the latest technologies to propel the family legacy forward.