Procacci Brothers Hosts Cameroonian Students for Produce Market Tour

Procacci Brothers Sales Corporation hosted a class of 24 university students from the central African nation of Cameroon on July 18 for a tour of their facilities and the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. The 24 students who attended the tour are currently enrolled in an educational exchange between Saint Joseph’s University and ENAM – Cameroon’s National School of Administration and Magistracy. Agriculture is the backbone of Cameroon’s economy, employing over 70% of the country’s workforce and accounting for 42% of GDP. Increasing post-harvest crop utilization is an issue of great importance in Cameroon and according to George Binck, executive vice president of Procacci Brothers, the company was thrilled to spend the morning sharing best practices. “Every day here at Procacci Brothers we look for ways to more efficiently deliver great tasting food products to our customers,” he says. “It was a wonderful opportunity to share some of those learnings with our guests from Cameroon. There’s really no better place than the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market to observe the forefront of innovation and quality control in the US Produce Industry. Every farming operation, let alone every country, faces different challenges, but we know that they’re going to take some of the information that we shared with them and do great things for their country.” During their tour of the fully-refrigerated wholesale produce terminal the students witnessed the state-of-the-art food storage facilities and the fast-paced supply chain movement that the market embodies. The tour of the facility was led by Dan Kane, Market Manager for the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. “We always enjoy having visitors, but today was a special occasion,” says Kane. “The students were very engaged during the tour. They asked a lot of great questions.” According to Dr. Stephen Porth, Associate Dean of the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pa., the students have diverse educational backgrounds that include areas such as agriculture, law, accounting, economics, hospital administration and civil administration. All 24 students are currently continuing their education in Cameroon and are pursuing graduate level degrees. Their tour of the Philadelphia Wholesale Product Market with Procacci Brothers is just one of many visits that the students will be making to regionally-located businesses during their 12-day stay in the Philadelphia. “Upon successful completion of the study tour and course, the Cameroonian students will have earned four credits toward an Advanced Graduate Certificate,” says Porth, “and they will have the option to further their education at Saint Joseph's University by earning a Master’s of Business Administration.”