Guide to Fruits and Vegetables

Richly reward your customers by selecting and serving premium quality fruits and vegetables
By Michele Vrouvas

An expansive category, fruits and vegetables top the list of must have ingredients for almost any food service establishment. The question is not whether to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables but to what extent. Market research shows that consumers are finicky when it comes to which fruits and vegetables they choose to consume. You, as a retailer or wholesaler, remain challenged to find better sources of vegetable producers and fruit producers in addition to tapping into reliable sources of information about fruits and vegetables.

First, carefully select the produce companies you do business with. Make sure the fruit distributors or vegetable distributors you choose maintain an experienced staff to help you select seasonable produce at competitive prices. Alternatively, choose a company whose website provides the most recent fruits and vegetables information and updates that information daily. As you begin your search for trustworthy fruits and vegetables suppliers, keep certain points in mind:

1. Consider your health-conscious patrons who favor organic fruits and vegetables.

2. Buy from local fruits and vegetable wholesalers who cater to small and medium sized food operations.

3. Establish accounts with the most recognized names in the business for the largest selection of fruits and vegetables.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Join the ever-growing trend to serve organic fruits and vegetables Buy into the organic fruits and vegetables craze. Health conscious consumers want to minimize their exposure to chemical products used in farming, which they believe contain hidden dangers.

I recommend: CF Fresh distributes a wide selection of fresh organic fruits and vegetables from certified farms in the western United States. Check out their Fresh Fruit & Vegetable calendar so you can gauge product availability even though most of their produce is available year round. With more than 30 years in the business, Misionero Vegetables grows its organic produce on farms in the Salinas Valley in California. Muir Glen has become one of the most nationally recognized suppliers of organic tomato products.

Give local wholesale fruits and vegetables companies a try You can support local farmers and at the same time get fresher ingredients faster by following the current trend for serving locally grown fruits and vegetables.

I recommend: Produce Express and Produce Plus are wholesale fruits and vegetables distributors in the California and Lake Tahoe areas. Family operated B.T. Produce is large-scale producer in the Northeast with five decades of experience under their belt. Heeren Brothers Produce operates out of Grand Rapids, Michigan and has been serving the mid western states since 1933. South Georgia Produce delivers locally grown produce to the southern states. Its website makes purchasing on line a snap with its always up to date price lists.

Guarantee large selection and superior service with national suppliers of fruits and vegetables Large scale, national produce distributors offer an almost endless supply of high quality items. Most ship out of regional warehouses so no matter where you're located, you can get your delivery without too much delay.

I recommend: National Farm Produce, located at the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market in New York, sells fruits and vegetables to supermarkets, food service operations and restaurants nationwide. Chiquita and Fresh Del Monte are two of the most highly esteemed national produce companies. Both sell millions of pounds of produce each week to customers in almost every state.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

If you're a restaurant owner, your menu will dictate most of your fruits and vegetables purchases. However, make every effort to buy produce that is in season. Not only is it cheaper, but it will taste better than fruits and vegetables purchased out of season.

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