3 ms·

>Small farmers can't just call up their local supermarket and say "hey can you take a field's worth of arugula off my hands? No sorry I don't have any way of pa

>Small farmers can't just call up their local supermarket and say "hey can you take a field's worth of arugula off my hands? No sorry I don't have any way of packaging it into retail portions, I've always sold in food-service size bags to restaurants." Speaking as someone who has done buying for both supermarket chains and smaller independent stores for about a decade: they absolutely can. Maybe not to Safeway/your local Kroger-owned chain, but certainly to everyone smaller than that: large regional chains like New Seasons Market in the PNW, smaller chains like Bi-Rite in SF and Berkeley Bowl -- in other words, they still have a good chance with roughly 40% of the grocery retail market. And when I would get a call like this, I nearly always converted. Also, produce doesn't generally need to be packaged into retail ready portions -- that's hardly a problem most of the time. Maintaining availability and quality, managing inventory and buying, and keeping prices computerized and margins reasonable are much harder problems, particularly with produce, and having a direct relationship with a small producer who can be more flexible than a larger distributor can address many of those.

omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago
This! There's a Korean grocery store chain around here (Zion) that brings in all kinds of produce and the majority of it is significantly less than anywhere else local. Some of it is near it's expiration date, so due diligence is required, but at other times I think stuff is incredibly affordable because it's in season and there's a ton of supply. I've seen prices for some things hit ten cents a pound.
- Melting_Harps 6y ago
  > This! There's a Korean grocery store chain around here (Zion) that brings in all kinds of produce and the majority of it is significantly less than anywhere else local. Some of it is near it's expiration date, so due diligence is required... That's a workable model, provided very strict guidelines are put into place, temp controlled and freezing before expiration date etc... It just makes sense to do that than let it go to a dumpster and landfill given all the hidden costs it takes to raise animals for meat. > but at other times I think stuff is incredibly affordable because it's in season and there's a ton of supply. It is. That's the added benefit to seasonal menus in restaurants, it helps re-direct the supply to value added models, but also creates a direct benefit to the consumer. > I've seen prices for some things hit ten cents a pound. This is a bit hard to believe, nothing that requires any amount of labour to grow can realistically be sold that low and not be done at a loss for all involved. I mean even growing herbs requires resources, labour, transport that require a higher price. Even if Ag went entirely automated I doubt we'd see that price for anything remotely called 'food.' Perhaps a promotion to get people in the doors? That's typical in grocery stores business models.
  - omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago
    I think the extremely low prices are mostly for fallow crops like daikon, but I've also seen navel oranges close to it at 8lbs for a dollar, albeit infrequently, which is probably oversupply from some other seller. I'll also see rotten/moldy berries I wouldn't pay a penny for, so it's very YMMV. Edit - The least expensive produce right now is celery at 20 cents pretty pound.
    - Melting_Harps 6y ago
      > Edit - The least expensive produce right now is celery at 20 cents pretty pound. That's insanity, celery has a 90+ growing period [1] but if they can make it work for them. its just the water used and the labor for harvest is worth way more than that. And highlights my issue with Farm subsidies, I can't imagine what the farmer was paid. I've been to many Asian stores (private to chains) having grown up in SoCal and raised on Cantonese cuisine, and I can't remember seeing something that low ever in even a 99 Ranch, Mitsuwa, Marukai or Hmart, let alone a private place with higher operational costs and overhead. Then again, most would ruin their reputations if they tried selling rotten berries as SoCal, all of California really, is a pretty well reviewed and subject to backlash in Print media back then and now Social media and yelp and the like. 1: https://www.almanac.com/plant/celery https://www.almanac.com/plant/celery
vector_spaces 6y ago
"computerized" should have been "competitive"

omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago

This! There's a Korean grocery store chain around here (Zion) that brings in all kinds of produce and the majority of it is significantly less than anywhere else local. Some of it is near it's expiration date, so due diligence is required, but at other times I think stuff is incredibly affordable because it's in season and there's a ton of supply. I've seen prices for some things hit ten cents a pound.

Melting_Harps 6y ago
> This! There's a Korean grocery store chain around here (Zion) that brings in all kinds of produce and the majority of it is significantly less than anywhere else local. Some of it is near it's expiration date, so due diligence is required... That's a workable model, provided very strict guidelines are put into place, temp controlled and freezing before expiration date etc... It just makes sense to do that than let it go to a dumpster and landfill given all the hidden costs it takes to raise animals for meat. > but at other times I think stuff is incredibly affordable because it's in season and there's a ton of supply. It is. That's the added benefit to seasonal menus in restaurants, it helps re-direct the supply to value added models, but also creates a direct benefit to the consumer. > I've seen prices for some things hit ten cents a pound. This is a bit hard to believe, nothing that requires any amount of labour to grow can realistically be sold that low and not be done at a loss for all involved. I mean even growing herbs requires resources, labour, transport that require a higher price. Even if Ag went entirely automated I doubt we'd see that price for anything remotely called 'food.' Perhaps a promotion to get people in the doors? That's typical in grocery stores business models.
- omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago
  I think the extremely low prices are mostly for fallow crops like daikon, but I've also seen navel oranges close to it at 8lbs for a dollar, albeit infrequently, which is probably oversupply from some other seller. I'll also see rotten/moldy berries I wouldn't pay a penny for, so it's very YMMV. Edit - The least expensive produce right now is celery at 20 cents pretty pound.
  - Melting_Harps 6y ago
    > Edit - The least expensive produce right now is celery at 20 cents pretty pound. That's insanity, celery has a 90+ growing period [1] but if they can make it work for them. its just the water used and the labor for harvest is worth way more than that. And highlights my issue with Farm subsidies, I can't imagine what the farmer was paid. I've been to many Asian stores (private to chains) having grown up in SoCal and raised on Cantonese cuisine, and I can't remember seeing something that low ever in even a 99 Ranch, Mitsuwa, Marukai or Hmart, let alone a private place with higher operational costs and overhead. Then again, most would ruin their reputations if they tried selling rotten berries as SoCal, all of California really, is a pretty well reviewed and subject to backlash in Print media back then and now Social media and yelp and the like. 1: https://www.almanac.com/plant/celery https://www.almanac.com/plant/celery

vector_spaces 6y ago

"computerized" should have been "competitive"