Keep it Fresh: The Hunt for the Perfect Fresh Produce Provider

You want your menu to be pitch perfect for your team and your guests. All your techniques, plans, and visions are only as good as your ingredients. You already know how to take care of your products once they are in house, but how do you find quality fresh produce? What are qualities should you look for in a delivery service and who can you count on? Consider these tips if you are ready to take those ingredients to the next level:

How their Fresh Produce is Stored

Some fruits and vegetables produce ethylene, leading to rapid spoilage. A good produce distribution company knows more sensitive products need to be stored away from these emitters. For example, peppers, tomatoes, avocado, and bananas are some of the biggest culprits, so ingredients like lettuce would be kept away from these. Your ideal company would keep products like these separated to avoid spoiling other produce

They Keep Humidity in Mind

Humidity affects how long produce like lettuce and other leafy greens stay crisp. While some products thrive with more water exposure, others can be detrimentally affected by moisture. Product that can become damaged by this type of exposure would be kept in a more open-aired, cool environment to avoid wilting. Fruits and vegetables are incredibly sensitive to their surroundings, so your perfect distribution service will keep conditions right.

They’re Fridge Savvy

Every chef knows all parts of the fridge are not created equal. The back of the fridge might as well be a tiny freezer, in some respects. A produce service should know this as well. So, they wouldn’t store lettuce or fruit in the back that could get shocked by the cold and succumb to ravaging ice crystals. If you are receiving produce with frost damage, it may be time to consider an alternative.

They Don’t Wash Products

As a chef, you know that you only wash products when you’re ready to use them for service or prep. If you are getting spoiled produce or deliveries spoil too quickly, there is a chance your service is washing their deliverables. This As a general rule, don’t wash your fresh produce before storing it. Doing so introduces moisture, causing mold or wilting. Berries are especially susceptible to this, since they have so many grooves that trap water, and lead to molding.

They Trim Sprouts

Onions and carrots come with leafy accessories that need to be trimmed before being stored in cool, dark places. Sprout vegetables like these can continue to grow even once they’ve been harvested. Therefore, a good service will trim trimming and storing them away from light will help prevent this process.

They Fresh Cut to Order

The clock starts ticking once produce is cut or broken down. If your produce service offers fresh cut options, make sure they are fabricating to order. Cut or diced fruits and vegetables can become damaged if they sit for too long. And you don’t want old produce on your menu or line anyway.

They Source Fresh and Never Freeze

Be prepared to freeze your fruits and veggies then blanch them when ready to use. Nothing halts the wilting process like freezing your produce. Chop and lay them flat in freezer-safe bags lined with parchment paper. Then, come back to them when a recipe calls for produce.

Sourcing from local farms and companies is great, but doesn’t make much of a difference if those fresh ingredients are frozen. While freezing can preserve certain produce, it’s the thaw that can damage them. Ice crystals recede as they melt, tearing up product, resulting in sad, mushy deliverables.

They Know Where the Good Stuff is!

Most refrigerators have a crisper that’s been specially designed to hold your fresh produce. This section keeps it fresh way longer than other parts of the fridge can. It’s a controlled spa

Beyond locally sourcing product, a solid produce service knows where to find the rarer, more special ingredients. Restaurant owners and chefs love to stand out from the pack, and create unique experiences for their guests. Special orders should be as natural and comfortable of a process as any other order.

Next time you receive a fresh produce delivery from a reliable provider like AgriExotic, you can use these tips to keep it as fresh a

If you need to switch things up or are on the hunt for consistent fresh produce delivery from a reliable provider, look no further than AgriExotic. We are proud to locally source our products, find you exotic ingredients, and take care of product from its roots to your kitchen.