Mercafir is the company created in 1988 by the Municipality of Florence to manage the multifunctional Food Centre in Florence which houses all the activities involved in the wholesale trading of products. It is founded on the concept of marketable polyvalence (offering a wide range of food) and functional polyvalence (unification of all structures necessary for the commercial function and services that operate within food distribution: production, wholesale trade large scale distribution: catering, community supplies…).
Mercafir is a member of the World Union of Wholesale Markets and Mercati Associati.

The Municipality of Florence owns the majority of the capital with the other shareholders being: Centrale del Latte di Firenze.trade operators and their associations.

Mercafir has 53 employees: the General Manager is the head of a structure where 3 Departments operate: Market Services, Technical Administration and Accounts.

At the moment we can consider finished the Florence Food Centre's restructuring. In the autumn of the 2003 the new Flowers and Plants wholesale market started its activity in the new structure, on December of the same year the Fruits and Vegetables' wholesale market was inaugurated and at the end of February 2005 was finished also the new Fish Market building.

New fruit and vegetable market.