Feb 22, 2025 By Rick Shrum 5 min read

Bill Albano admitted he “had been thinking about it for a while.”

His plan, months ago, was to halt production at Albano’s Wholesale Produce in Washington by the end of 2024. Business wasn’t what it had once been and retirement was beckoning.

Albano, 70, did shift gears, however, but not just those on the truck he drove regularly to Pittsburgh’s Strip District to buy produce to sell. He decided to keep the business at 16 South St. going into 2025.

“Last year was such a crazy year. I don’t know whether politics was affecting whether people were buying or whatever.”

Less than two months into the new year, however, the owner did shutter the longtime family operation. He did so, appropriately, on Valentine’s Day in a community where his family, clients and customers have shared a lot of nutrition and love.

“Things haven’t been great since COVID arrived,” Albano said. “The cost of so many things went way up,” he said last week, reflecting on what his business and many across the globe have experienced.

He cited an example of what wholesale produce operations may be facing. “A case of lettuce, with 24 heads, once cost us $12 to $15. Then at some point, we were paying $57 a case. “How many can you sell and get by, and not beat up customers too much,” Albano asked. “And a lot of what we do depends on weather.”

High prices, production changes, shifting demands and other challenges are facing Bill Albano’s industry. “There are not many workers now,” he said. “We used to have three trucks on the road and used to serve 10 to 12 Pizza Huts and Long John Silver’s. We used to go to New Stanton. During the pandemic and after, business has been more in Washington and elsewhere locally.”

There are not as many would-be clients, either. “A lot of corporate businesses come in and get their own suppliers, or supply themselves.”

Albano added that a dearth of once-common small groceries also has smacked his industry in the solar plexus. “Forty, 50 years ago,” he said, “mom-and-pop stores were at every corner.

He and the Albano clan have largely dealt with food – and food for thought – for more than a century.

They have been involved in the food business in the Washington County region since Bill’s paternal grandparents – Frank and Agnes Albano – emigrated from southern Italy in the early 1900s. In addition to working at the Brockway Glass Factory, near his Washington home, Frank set up vegetable gardens at several local locations and sold his wares from a truck. The worksite proved to be a boost for him and his family.

“There wasn’t a canteen there and we would deliver sandwiches to workers.”

Their sons, Frank Jr. and George, launched Albano’s Produce at 374 S. Main St., near South Street, and ran Albano’s Restaurant, a sandwich shop with a soda fountain.

“We lived above the restaurant,” Bill Albano recalled. “We had the restaurant for a number of years.”

Then in the mid-1960s, the brothers transformed the restaurant into a grocery that sold meats, cheeses and bread. When he was of age, Bill – George’s son – began making produce trips to the Strip.

“Dad never drove,” Bill Albano said. “John Reed, who was with us for about 40 years, drove him. We’d go to late-night produce yards and come home at 5:30 in the morning. We were in the Strip a good bit. At first, there were about 200 or so in the produce business there. There is one company left.”

Now Albano’s Wholesale Produce is gone. Word of its shutdown was not prominent initially until one of its longtime clients posted “A Bittersweet Farewell” on its Facebook page.

Chicco Baccello, a coffee house/sandwich shop/bakery on South Main, extended a salute and a rousing thank you to its supplier from down the hill:

“Today, we say goodbye to more than just a supplier – we say goodbye to a cherished part of our journey. For the past 11 years, Albano’s Produce has been more than just where we got our fresh fruits and veggies; they’ve been partners, friends and an essential part of what we do.

“From the very beginning, they’ve provided us with the best produce, always with a smile and a commitment to quality that made our food even better. We are so grateful for their hard work, reliability and partnership over the years.

“While we wish them nothing but the best in their next chapter, we can’t help but feel a little sad to see them go. Thank you, Albano’s, for everything – you will be missed!”

Lisa Aprea, one of the co-owners, told the Observer-Reporter: “We’ve had Albano’s since we opened. You know how responsible and caring they were. If you forgot to order something, you’d call and they’d run something up to us. Sometimes, you’d ask for something at 7:30 (a.m., a crunch time) and get it.

“They were so reliable.”