Message from the President of MAFTO

Hello and Happy New Year! My name is Robert Melfi and I am the senior sales manager at Mrs.T’s Pierogies (Ateeco). I am honored to be the president of the Mid Atlantic Food Trade Association (MAFTO) for 2025. After graduating from Southern Connecticut State University (where I was an All-American Wrestler) and receiving my MBA from Dowling College, I began what would be a lifelong career in the food industry. For thirteen years I worked for Nabisco, progressing in leadership positions. I then joined Daymon Worldwide, where I worked separately inside PetSmart, Wegmans and WAWA headquarters assisting them in developing private brand products. I then found myself going back to a branded company, Kraft Foods. My tenure at Mrs. T’s began in 2012. I have been a member of MAFTO since 2013 and on its board of directors since 2018.

The Mid-Atlantic Food Trade Organization (MAFTO) is a 501c3 corporation
that merged four Philadelphia market-based trade organizations with long and successful histories: the Association of Manufacturers Representatives (AMR), the Tri State Dairy Deli Association, the Philadelphia Food Trades Organization and the Mid Atlantic Frozen Foods Association. Our mission is to promote food industry business relationships through networking events, college scholarships, and food industry related charities. Our retailer dinners, First Monday in May golf outing, Christmas for All Kids holiday event, and annual Night of Recognition, provide opportunities for industry professionals and ancillary companies to network in a less formal business atmosphere. During the pandemic MAFTO also organized a Community Care Package Program which raised money for local food banks. Since 2005, MAFTO has awarded 172 scholarships totaling $612,000. More recently, we have partnered with Saint Joseph’s University Academy of Food Marketing to award scholarships to current Food Marketing students, the future of our industry.

Currently membership to MAFTO is free. Simply visit us at MAFTO.org and complete the application. We look forward to seeing you at our events throughout the year.

Thank you for your continued support.

Robert C. Melfi
President, Mid Atlantic Food Trade Organization