Shopping at The Wholesale Produce Market
One of the most frequently asked questions I get in comments and emails is that regarding saving money or living on a budget as a high carb, high raw vegan. Good news! I have some very helpful information, especially to those of you who live in Los Angeles, or near it 🙂 –>> To those who do not live in LA,no worries! Simply do a google search, I’m sure you can locate one.
If you do not have a wholesaler near you, head to the end of this post for info on what you can do!
Why shop wholesale?
By cutting out the middle man (supermarket, grocery stores, etc.), you save a lot of money!
Wholesalers are mostly targetting restaurants, small markets, etc., so they sell by the case. They generally sell unripe fruits and vegetables for storage purposes. Because of this, ripe fruit is ALWAYS cheap, VERY cheap. I’m talking $4 for 40lb. of organic bananas cheap. Although this may seem like too much for some of you, I say buy it and freeze it. These frozen fruits will be great for smoothies and sorbets, and will be great back ups if you ever can’t make it to the market.
Locations and Hours
There are several wholesale markets dispersed throughout downtown LA, and I have ONLY been to the two listed below. There are a few more markets, and you can get their information on Fruitluck Wiki.
Both of these are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 🙂
- The Old Market aka The Hispanic Market
>> Located on Central between 7th and 8th St.
>> Open Monday-Saturday from 1am-9am, and Saturday until around 8am. *Note that these are the hours I have read on online. I usually go at 6-8 am, so I cannot confirm when they open/close.
>> Have both organic and non organic produce. I find that the vegetables and greens aren’t so great here, and I stick to mainly fruit. - Greenfield Produce Imports (**see note below)
>> Located at 718 S Alameda St Los Angeles, CA 90021
>> Open Monday-Saturday from 6:00am to 10:00am (according to Fruitluck Wiki). Again, I usually got around 6-8 so I CANNOT confirm hours.
>> Great for exotic asian produce. I got here for mangos, coconut and jackfruit. Jackfruit is always the cheapest here, especially since you can get ripe ones. Mangos and coconuts however, are not in my experience. I have found them to be the same price as #1.
>> I have heard that this location no longer sells to the public/individuals have had issues with the hours, etc. I have no been for over a year, so I am not certain on this so please proceed with caution!!
Again, there are other locations, check them out here.
Payment
Cash only.
TRY before you buy!
Almost all of the vendors are open to letting you try the produce before purchasing, so bring something to cut it with 🙂
Is it open to the public?
Yes, the LA Wholesale Produce Market locations that I have visited (locations above) are open to the public. I believe the others, listed here, are as well.
Parking
There is free parking at both locations discussed. Inside of the #1, just make sure you don’t park on the rows only for trucks. As for the #2 location, park on the left when you pull into the driveway, don’t park in front of Greenfield.
Is there organic produce?
Yes! They have organic and conventional produce. The only thing is, you have to look. You don’t really know which stall has what (from the #1 location above), so just walk around and see what you find. Feel free to ask as well! Multiple times I have asked for organic and it had to be brought out from the back.
Want guaranteed, 100% organic produce?
Check out Better Life Organics at 2020 E. 7th Pl Los Angeles, CA 90021 (213) 623-0640. Their hours are Mon-Sat 2:00am to 9:00am? (according to Fruitluck Wiki).
I have not tried this place out, but I am sure to in the future. What I have heard is that you call at least 24 hours ahead and order, then pick up your order, so there is 1 set price list. They do not support email/electronic orders, you have to call. I guess there is not really much negotiation. At the regular wholesale, there is larger room for savings and bargaining!
Take your time and browse various vendors.
As I said above, walk around and and get a feel for the prices. Some venfors sell things for cheaper, some may have ripe produce, some may have organic. You can never really know who will have what as it changes everyday, so walk around to get the most out of your dollar.
Best Time To Go?
I have only gone between 6-8am, but I have favored going earlier as ALL of the stalls are open, as opposed to later one where a lot of them close. That way, you have a larger variety to choose from. Between those hours, it is always pretty packed. If you have gone any earlier and have comments on it, let me know so I can add it here.
How do you eat all of that?!
Well, I don’t eat it all myself 🙂 I live in a home where two others eat a raw breakfast. With everything that gets too tipe, simply freeze, dehydrate, or share it with others 🙂 The more you can spread your healthy abundant message, the better!
I can’t really tell you how much or how little to buy, I say just go, buy some fruit, and see what happens. You’ll be saving so much money anyways, and you can use the above methods to handle extra produce.
I suggest a dolly or a cart!
(Or something of that sort) This is extremely helpful when you are purchasing several boxes of fruit and will help you avoid walking back and forth to your car, or worse, carrying boxes while you shop.
PROTECT YOURSELF
Haha kidding, kind of.. But really, there are always forklift drivers speeding through, a little too fast for a public area. So just be aware of that.
Free/discounted produce?
When produce is ripe, it is discounted or even FREE. There are also fruit tossed out by the trash or by the cars to be trashed, and you can freely sort through those boxes.
What do they sell? What are their prices?
It varies depending on season and demand. Honestly, you won’t really know what there will be/how much they will be until you go because things change every single day. Of course, there are some fruits that are only seasonal, for example persimmons, and others that are available year round (e.g bananas, apples, pineapples, papayas, etc.)
Examples of what I have bought, when I bought them & what I spent:
Date: November 29, 2014
Total: $81
Prices:
50 lbs hachiya persimmons {}
100 lbs fuyu persimmons {}
7 pineapples {}
72 oranges {}
Free: 2 huge boxes of avocados & 3 boxes of mangoes + random pickings atop the pineapples
Date: November 29, 2014
Total: $81
Prices: Total: $65
Prices:
15 lbs hachiya persimmons {$15}
20 lbs ripe fuyu persimmons {$10}
10 mangoes {$7}
15 lbs Jackfruit {$12}
7 pineapples {$5}
40 lbs Fuji apples {$16}
Free: 35 fuyu persimmons, 1 pineapple, 14 large mangoes, 3 oranges and a banana.
Date: February 4, 2015
Total: $110
Prices: I did not log this one, but all I remember is that the ataulfo mangoes were ripe, so they were $3.
Date: February 21, 2015
Total: $
Prices:
18 large mangos {$8}
8 containers of strawberries {$15}
12 pints blueberries {$20}
7 Pineapples {$20}
7Papayas {$17}
*40 lbs bananas NOT from a local market {$18}
Date: April 6, 2015
Total: $101
*This day, I shopped for my family and my friend Andre + his wife.
Prices:
For me: 2 boxes ataulfo mangoes {$16}
1 box ripe ataulfo mangoes {$3}
20 Mexican coconuts {$25}
40 lbs ripe bananas {$4}
40 lbs (yellow) organic bananas {$9}
For Andre: 72 oranges {$11}
6 pineapples {$13}
8 boxes strawberries {$12}
1 box of ataulfo mangoes {$8}
Date: April 27, 2015
Total: $172
*This day, I shopped for my family and my friend Andre + his wife.
Prices:
For me: 3 boxes ataulfo mangoes {$27}
20 Mexican coconuts {$25}
9 young Thai coconuts {$9}
13 lb jackfruit {$9}
7 pineapples {$16}
36 apples {$11}
For Andre: 72 oranges {$12}
7 pineapples {$16}
36 apples {$11}
25 lbs Roma tomatoes {$12}
24 lbs bell peppers {$13}
40 lbs bananas {$11} 
Date: May 22, 2015
Total: $104
Prices:
3 boxes ataulfo mangoes {$21}
1 box ripe organic ataulfo mangoes {$5}
40 lbs bananas {$10}
Blackberries {$11}
20 Mexican coconuts {$25}
8 ripe pineapples {$6}
Free: raspberries
*Young thai coconuts {$22) and yam leaves {$4} were NOT from the wholesale market.
Date: October 2, 2015
Total: $76
Prices:
40 lbs bananas {$4}
42 lbs hachiya persimmons {$26}
42 oranges {$14}
18 young thai coconuts {$22}
jackfruit {$10}
Date: January 5, 2015
Total: $80
Prices:
40 lbs bananas {$9}
40 lbs russet potatoes {$15}
40 lbs sweet potatoes {$15}
20 lbs oranges {$13}
9 soft mangoes {$2}
11 red mangoes {$9}
8 quarts blueberries {$8}
6 pineapples {$9}
Wholesale produce from supermarkets?
Visit or call a local market and see if this is possible, and make sure you ask if they hav a discounted price (they usually do). I have seen people do this with much success from Whole Foods, for organic produce too. (Whole Foods gives a 10% discount per case). You can also try out places like Smart & Final and Superking, if you have those near you of course. Maybe even Co Ops! the variety of organic and conventional will very depending on your market, so I can’t guarantee anything there.
Also, I have seen people get RIPE produce from supermarkets at a wholesale price as well, simply because these are not what people want to see on the stands (crazy, I know!)
I hope this post has helped you out! Please leave a comment, suggestion ,feedback, etc. below, or just say hi! I’d love to hear from you 🙂
xo Jasmine
