FoodFest Depot celebrated a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their facility on East 132nd Street in Port Morris. For almost two decades, FoodFest Depot has served the small business in the food industry. The new FoodFest Depot facility is 98,000 sq. ft. with over
10,000 items. Members of the family are shown below at the ribbon cutting, along with Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lenny Caro. former Comptroller John Liu and Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation chair Marlene Cintron.
“Today is a very special day in our family. It is the day of St. George,” Mr. Gus Tyras, President of FoodFest. “In honor of our father, George Tyras, who passed away and in his legacy we dedicate and open our doors to the many in our community whom have with
their presence made our business so successful.”
The best news was the promises of expansion, meaning more employment for Bronxites.
“As our establishment grows, FoodFest Depot anticipates creating more jobs in the Bronx”, stated Mr. Tyras. They have hired an additional 36 employees for the new facility, in addition to the employees relocated.
The facility is a new home for FoodFest, which has had to make several relocations over the past two decades, the first being from their space at the Bronx Terminal Market due to the construction of the Gateway Mall Project. The second move was due to eminent domain and the construction of the Major Deegan (I-87) highway. But the business has always been comitted to remaining a mainstay in the Bronx food commerce community.
The business began in 1995 at the Bronx Terminal Market (BTM) as Victory FoodService, and relocated to Hunts Point in 1997. FoodFest Cash and Carry stayed at the BTM and became a separate entity.
Foodfest Depott, LLC moved to 441 Exterior Street but in July of last year, an official posting of the renovation and extension project of the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87) was announced, which influenced the company’s decision to move to the new facility.
Financing the purchase of the modern structure was made possible with the assistance of Chase Bank, NYBDC/SBA and IDA/NYCEDC. FoodFest Depot offers free membership, parking at no cost, extended hours of operation, andopen 7 days a week.
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