Umberto Bifulco Jr. (Bert) was born in 1931 in Staten Island, N.Y.  He worked on the family farm, U. Bifulco Farms, with his brothers. His parents founded the farm in 1920 after coming from Naples, Italy.  While working the farm, Bert and his brother teamed up with an existing commission house in the New York City Produce Market.  He eventually found night work difficult to live with as his family grew, so he continued farming and opened a Fruit and Vegetable Retail Store in Staten Island.

Bert married Charlotte Bradley.  Charlotte was employed with Dun & Bradstreet in New York City.  She left her career in the city and became a driving force in building the future that awaited her and her family.  They had 3 sons, Umberto III (Bert), Gennaro (Jerry), and Michael (Mickey).  She created a loving, happy home while maintaining and helping manage their businesses.

Bert and Charlotte wanted to be able to raise their family as his father had, on the farm, but Staten Island was changing fast.  It became evident that they needed to make a major life decision, which led them to move their family to Southern New Jersey.  It was 1970 when Bert and Charlotte began farming as U. Bifulco Jr.  As their boys grew, they changed the name to U. Bifulco & Sons Farms.  This family farm is still thriving today.

Bert and Charlotte raised their boys with a strong work ethic and always encouraged them to think outside the box. The boys worked alongside their dad, and the farm continued to expand through land purchases and land rentals.  Jerry was never satisfied with the status quo of farming.  He was a true innovator, creating farm equipment using his welding skills, which accelerated the efficiency of tedious, time-consuming farm work.  He was also a keen observer of market trends in regards to the local farms and the produce needs of the local markets.  Very often, he was able to manipulate crop choice and the timing of planting to hit it big.  

Bert III became a produce broker and created Bifulco Farms Inc. in 1978.  He used his dad’s connections in the New York Market, along with the vegetables grown on the family farm, to get started, and from there made his own connections as far south as Florida and to the north, as far as Canada.

Bifulco’s businesses were on their way.

Shipping the produce was challenging.  It became necessary for them to have their own tractors and trailers. The trucking company, founded in the early 1980’s was named for the three boys, U.G.M. Transport.

The family realized they needed a warehouse for the produce.  In 1989, Bert and his three boys went out to the field behind their homestead with vegetable crates, and they put the crates where the corners of the building would be.  That fateful, cold winter’s day was the beginning of Bifulco’s Four Seasons Cold Storage INC.  The name was chosen to represent a year-round business.  The space was completed in 1990.

It was then that Mickey took the helm of U.G.M. Transport, and in 1993, the family built the first office outside the home.  Through Mickey’s hard work and dedication, the trucking business was growing quickly, and with the warehouse, he found himself holding product that would later ship.  As more of his customers were requesting this service, the family decided to extend the warehouse for the vegetables from the farm in the summer months and the fruit in the winter. They added 3 cooler rooms and a 16-door, enclosed dock with dock levelers. This investment was based on the belief that if we build it, they will come!    In 1994, the first 3 cooler storage rooms were up and running.  Many of the connections Mickey made through working the trucking business helped initiate the customer base of the cold storage business.  Some of those original customers are still storing with Bifulco’s over 30 years later!  Bert, Bert III, Jerry, and Mickey all worked in unison under Charlotte’s watchful eye on the books and a delicious Italian meal on the table.

The Bifulco’s have a strong footing as they look forward to the future.  The 4^th generation, Umberto IV, Gennaro II, Umberto Joseph and Violet are hard at work enhancing and expanding every aspect of the businesses.            

In 2025 the family celebrated 105 Years in Business!