Los Primos Meat Market, A Small Business Client Feature
Since 1987, Los Primos Meat Market has worked behind the scenes of the restaurant industry, providing hundreds of Dominican, Mexican, Colombian, Ecuadorian, and other Latino restaurants in New York City with farm-sourced meat, poultry, and dry goods products. As one of the oldest meat distributors in Brooklyn, they have built direct relationships with butchers and farmers across the country and a high-touch delivery process for their restaurateurs.
Juan Raul Espinal, co-owner and operator of Los Primos Meat Market, never intended to make the family business his full-time career. But after stepping away for a few years to pursue his undergraduate degree and consulting work, he knew corporate life wasn’t for him. He came back to the business his father started and, twenty-four years later, has a vision for the company’s growth over the next two decades. He manages day-to-day managerial tasks, logistics, and operations, including overseeing 30 employees and the distribution of nine trucks across four New York City boroughs.
“When I am at work, I am still kind of at home. Running a business has a lot of positives, like not having to answer to corporate America. I also appreciate the ability to expand and grow our customer base and profits at our own pace,” says Juan.
With over 70 long-term customers, Los Primos Meat Market is still recovering from the supply chain impacts associated with the pandemic. For example, the team had to find creative solutions for the numerous out-of-stock ingredients, offering their customers alternative items.
“The costs for everyday grocery items like dried spices and take-out containers are still high because the supply was very low. Pricing has gone down a little, but not much; they are still high compared to before 2020,” explains Juan. “Thankfully, though, business is finally starting to pick up again.”
We are proud to have weathered the storm together, supporting Los Primos Meat Market since 2010. They first approached us for a small business loan, using the working capital to triple the capacity of their warehouse freezers and refrigerators. After experiencing our personalized approach to banking as one of the only community banks in Bronx, NY, they moved their business checking account and opened a new business bank account with us, too.
During the pandemic, we also helped them manage and receive the EIDL and PPP loans. “Spring Bank is very accommodating. They are much easier to work with than a corporate financial institution. For example, they stay on top of every daily transaction. If anything in our accounts looks off, they give us a call to warn us. It’s this type of service from a community bank that we would not likely experience from a big bank,” says Juan. “We highly value this as a small business with a value of personalized service, too.”
The longevity and growth of small businesses in the Bronx and across New York City are core to our mission. We do not take it lightly that family-owned businesses like Los Primos Meat Market trust us with their accounts, and we do our best to ensure they have what they need to thrive in the competitive New York City business landscape.
Visit Los Primos Meat Market and learn more about how your restaurant can source the highest quality ingredients. As you consider your choices among banks in NY, we hope you will consider our small business accounts and commercial lending opportunities. Please contact us here to learn more about how we can help your business create more capacity and scale for years to come.
