Fareastco

Food conjures up memories of childhood firsts and special occasions. Rainbow sprinkles atop soft-serve vanilla ice cream on a hot summer day. Grandma’s coconut custard pie baked to golden perfection at Christmas. Whether recreating family recipes in the kitchen or walking down the supermarket aisle, food - how it tastes, feels, looks, and smells - can inspire, connect, and transport us to a different time and place. How we handle the ingredients for such dishes, how we source them, and how we celebrate them make all the difference.

Nobody understands this rule of thumb better than Fareastco, a food brokerage firm dedicated to providing bakeries with the best products at the best price, on time, every time. With deep-rooted industry expertise and an incredible team of dedicated and seasoned professionals, their concierge-level of personal service is evident in all they do. Fareastco’s family-first culture is key to understanding and meeting their clients’ needs. Through research, thoughtfulness, and nurtured relationships, they are shaping experiences and memories for consumers while strengthening and elevating the brands and stories of bakeries.

“It’s about so much more than just introducing our clients to different vendors; we are building communities - connecting manufacturers and distributors to both mom-and-pop bakeries and brands that have been serving customers for more than a century,” says Rich Martino, second-generation and current owner of Fareastco. “These genuine relationships are essential to ensuring our clients get whatever they need to keep their establishments up and running.”

Carrying forward a rich legacy of inspired leadership and excellence, Martino and his team work tirelessly to care for clients. Their motivation to deliver comes from their belief in their customers - from the ingredients they harness to the goods they deliver to the lives they touch. These meaningful relationships stem from Fareastco’s sincere willingness to support their clients in the toughest of situations. If a supplier cannot deliver an order until Saturday and the client needs it on Wednesday, the team will go above and beyond to make sure the product reaches the client at the intended time, even if it means shipping five cases of raw materials via FedEx to avoid stalled production.

“The trust that we have earned over the years depends on our continued ability to be able to deliver on our promises - and we are never one to break a promise,” says Martino. With client success at the heart of its mission, Fareastco engages with them at every step to overcome supply issues, source any ingredient, and deliver it without delay. A hands-on approach is adopted to check daily orders and leverage an extensive vendor network to procure ingredients.

“We’re always ready to save the day for clients by skillfully figuring out ways to resolve their obstacles,” says Pamela Rufrano, senior VP, operations at Fareastco.

This customer-centric attitude has been instrumental in helping many clients overcome operational challenges caused by fragmented supply chains in the aftermath of the pandemic. Understanding that the onus is on bakeries to ensure only the freshest ingredients are delivered to consumers, the team remained singularly focused on helping them stay equipped with the required raw materials. The family-owned and operated company continues to be the name that resonates with trust and premium service.