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BEHIND THE SCENES ANDREW FELLER PHOTOGRAPHY
Fresh Midwest By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer
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nlike other grocery delivery services, Kenosha-based Fresh Midwest doesn’t sell household items like toilet paper or laundry detergent or dry goods like pasta. The new fresh food and meal delivery service sources whole produce, meats and seafood and a handful of specialty groceries directly from local and national farmers and suppliers, and delivers those items as well as made-to-order snacks, salads and meal kits to customers’ doors. Behind the concept are twin brothers Patrick and Mike Fitzgerald, who are two of seven second-generation family operators of Chicago-based wholesale produce distributor Midwest Foods. After national grocery delivery service Peapod vacated the Midwest market earlier this year, the two launched a consumer-facing division from Midwest Foods’ existing 71,000-square-foot Kenosha production facility. “People want fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Patrick Fitzgerald. “For us to be rooted in the business of fresh produce gives us a great structure and foundation.” n
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The Kenosha facility employs about 100 employees, with 50 to 60 working the line at a time.
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Patrick Fitzgerald, co-owner of Fresh Midwest, shows off pre-packaged snacks ready to be shipped to customers.
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Martha Antonio Lopez and Maricela Vazquez cut stems off broccoli florets.
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Once packaged and labeled, items travel on a conveyer to a separate room where they are boxed.
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One of Fresh Midwest’s top selling items is its meal kits, with 15 to 20 sold daily.
biztimes.com / 7
