It's 3 a.m. and the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market is in full swing. The phones are ringing, pallet jacks are zipping around unloading world-traveled edible freight, cynical banter is flying, deals are being brokered between salesmen like my father, John DiFeliciantonio, co-owner of Ryeco LLC, and perishable business owners along the East Coast, like the Iovine Brothers of Reading Terminal Market, an elderly Asian couple that runs an earnest produce shop, national wholesalers, and retailers and restaurateurs hailing from D.C. up to Boston. Even local culinary royalty like Georges Perrier makes the occasional appearance. They come here to pluck fresh blueberries from Argentina, asparagus from Peru, kiwi from Italy, Ya pears from China and Korea, clementines from Morocco and all this from local farms, too, when it's in season.

Typically, I'd be in REM sleep mode right about now, but I've finagled an invite into the trenches so I'm wide-eyed on my second cup of coffee from Norm and Lou's, the on-site cafe. My arrival garnered much attention initially, being one of only a handful of women on the docks, but the novelty quickly wore off and they bustled on. My uncle, Ryeco night manager Mike Lorenzo, is nearly ending his day as ours begins and offers me the 10-cent tour, which one of the workers amends: "More like a nickel." Each store looks similar - the only striking differences are size and personnel. All are equally dilapidated. "Watch your step, kid," my uncles warns as we walk the platform. "See that," he points to various melon-sized gaps in the wall leaking wires. "This place is dying." He twitches his head towards more exposed wires, "You're not careful around here you could really get hurt." We are flanked by disintegrating cinder-block walls, insulation pouring out of drywall, smashed wireboxes and shattered windows. But that's all about to change. Things are looking up and moving on, but heading south.

In early March, the PRPM will relocate to 6700 Essington Avenue in southwest Philadelphia and be renamed the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. It becomes the first terminal market in the world of its kind with state-of-the-art refrigeration and communication systems, altering the way business is done while making it more welcoming to civilian clientele -- just keep in mind you've got to purchase by the caseload. These upgrades are necessary to remain relevant and become more efficient, so merchants can operate from a well-maintained facility that provides crisp, uncompromised, and reliable product to customers. This change paves the docks of the future and nourishes the industry's deep-seated Philadelphia roots.

Produce trading in Philly dates back to the 1600s. Wholesale shops sat along Dock Creek, a waterway that ran into the Delaware by way of Old City. In 1959, the city offered the business owners the chance to relocate to a new space in South Philadelphia so that it could begin the gentrification of Old City and pave over Dock Creek, now the cobbled Dock Street.

With the promise of one day being able to purchase their share of the new space, business owners headed south. But the option to buy never came and, all these years later, the city, which owns the property, did not want to spend money on renovation. So, PRPM began its quest to replace its crumbling facilities. Over 10 years ago board members searched for new land to build on and, after several failed propositions and lost dollars from their own pockets, PRPM occupants finally agreed upon a $218.5 million public-private partnership proposed by former State Senator Vincent Fumo and former Governor Ed Rendell.

The PWPM is set tentatively to open early next month. "We are all looking forward to a new, modern facility," says John Vena, president of John Vena, Inc. and Chairman of the Marketing Committee for the PRPM. "Our businesses depend on upgrading our facility. Everyone is ready for the challenge, although there is plenty of anxiety about how things will go the first few months." Most vendors are worried about new, unforeseen costs and the logistics of relocating, but they're excited to become an industry model. PWPM's main building is a gleaming 700,000 square foot structure (about 14 football fields), completely refrigerated and totally enclosed, with the help of door seals and loading dock levelers, to ensure the cold-chain is never broken. Each of the 26 merchants (all of which are original tenants of the current building) will be able to set the temperature of their store via individual thermostats branching from one main cooling system, providing an energy efficient way to extend shelf life and comply with new, stricter USDA regulations.

To improve safety, a traffic system was developed, creating separate aisles for pallet jacks, hand trucks, and pedestrians. Now buyers can peruse the shops without fear of being clipped by the whizzing jacks and hand truck operators - a very familiar scene in the current space. Illuminating the pedestrian walkway is a quarter-mile long skylight that spans the length of the roof. Norm and Lou's caf�, also making the move, and WiFi hot spots provide plenty of sustenance, both edible and electronic, for customers and buyers. Currently, PRPM has an extensive recycling program, but at the new facility a separate building has been erected to completely handle sorting trash and recyclables and also repack product headed for food banks.

With the expansion, PWPM is projecting $1.6 billion in revenue as it will be on track to import a wider range of products to offer Philadelphia businesses, from independent restaurants to national retailers to foodservice distributors, and allow them to evolve with the needs of their suppliers and customers. They are also projecting a hiring spike to employ roughly 1,500 people: "Increasing the size and quality of the facility also will create a demand for more staff and more support businesses such as transportation and other services," says Vena. "Just the number of staff that we will need to care for the building itself will increase."

MARIE DiFELICIANTONIO is a blogger and freelance writer living in South Jersey. She's truly a city mouse living in the country and enjoying the best of both worlds. You will most likely find her cooking, reading, writing, eating or imbibing, quite possibly simultaneously. Read more of her scribbles here. Send feedback here.

PHOTOS:

The Philadelphia Regional Produce Market's new home is nearly ready.  (NEAL SANTOS)

John Vena of John Vena Produce

The open air setup of the existing market is not optimal for keeping produce at its best in the harsher climes of summer and winter. The new facility with be completely enclosed.

Fresh mangoes available at John Vena Produce

The existing vertical storage is limited in each stall. The new facility will provide more space for vendors to stock their product.

Cold storage will also be reworked to optimize stocking capabilities.

All photographs by MICHAEL PERSCIO unless otherwise noted.