Produce Purchases Driven by Culture in Chicago

Chicago is known for its diverse produce offerings.

One of the largest cities in the U.S., Chicago is known for its architecture, but also its agriculture, specifically its diverse produce offerings.

This metropolis is also known for its restaurants, driven by the varying cultures of its many neighborhoods. From Chicago Restaurant Week in the winter to Taste of Chicago in the summer, residents and visitors can sample food from some of the top eateries in the country. The city also has its fair share of Michelin Star restaurants, the best of the best.

BENEFITS OF THE LOCALE

When it comes to produce, Chicago benefits from its flourishing restaurant industry, as well as its central location. Farmers profit from a growing season that stretches from March to November, which provides the necessary period for growing and harvesting a wide range of fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, melons and cucumbers.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS), as of 2024, Illinois had more than 70,000 farms that cover 26.3 million acres.

This region isn’t just known for its quality fruits and vegetables, but also for affordability in terms of pricing. Those who do business here focus on supporting local, which has led to a burgeoning farm-to-table foodservice business. With the focus on locally produced fruits and vegetables, restaurants and retail outlets are able to operate more sustainably, provide fresh, high-quality products and support farmers in the area.

THE CIPM & AGRICULTURE

The hallmark of Chicago’s produce business is centered around the CIPM (Chicago International Produce Market), which has been the prime wholesale market for fruits and vegetables since it was known as the South Water Market in the 1920s and 1930s.

At that time, it was recognized as the place for those seeking the freshest, highest quality produce. The market outgrew its location, and the Chicago Planning Commission approved a relocation in 2003 to a state-of-the-art building in Chicago’s Pilsen Industrial Corridor. Today, this central location is ideal for wholesalers and produce buyers.

The CIPM is a 450,000 square-foot facility that includes sophisticated loading docks and convenient refrigeration space. It is designed for food safety and product quality, focusing on maintaining the cold chain.

SELLING IN CHICAGO

Despite increasing competition, produce sales in the Windy City and surrounding areas are booming.
La Hacienda Brands Inc., which has been in business since 1973, is a distributor focused on Mexican produce. Its top sellers include papayas, tomatillos, limes, cilantro and hot peppers.

“We have a variety of customers of many different ethnicities from a wide range of Chicago neighborhoods,” says Adolfo Vega Jr., produce manager. “Wholesalers and growers from the region where we buy are opening up warehouses and coming directly to sell their items.”

Because of La Hacienda’s history and relationships in the region, increased competition has not impacted sales.

“We’ve been in business for more than 50 years for a reason,” says Vega. “We provide reasonable prices, but also offer grocery and dairy items. We have more than 3,000 items available, so consider our company a one-stop shop.”

Chicago Food Corp. is a wholesaler that also owns four retail stores called Joong Boo Market — two in the city and two in surrounding suburbs, Schaumburg and Glenview. The company focuses on Asian produce, such as napa lettuce, radishes, Korean pears, Asian sweet potatoes and garlic.

“Anything Asian-focused, we do a lot with,” says Chong Suh, president. “Asian produce is more versatile than it has been in the past.”

He adds that produce is one of those things everyone can enjoy and is not reserved for a specific demographic. “Everyone consumes it, retail is strong and it doesn’t have a barrier, as produce is ubiquitous,” Suh says, adding that seasonal items sell well, since customers realize they have a limited time to purchase these items.

Although Chicago can be a tough place to do business, Suh says its geographic region is beneficial.

“Geographically, we have to truck in produce from around the country,” he says. “California has easier access to produce, and we bring in a lot of West Coast items. The East Coast, Canada and Mexico are easily accessible.”

Despite being centralized, logistics can drive up prices because of added freight costs, which includes fuel expenses.

“Because we have a variety of products, we can keep up with the coasts,” says Suh. “We carry everything you’d expect to find, and are well-positioned for consolidation. This is because we work with many vendors from all over the country.”

“We’re always thinking about the next growth opportunity, as we want to make sure we’re part of the community and are servicing them with that focus in mind.”

The Ruby Co. is a national fresh produce supplier and distributor that has been in business since 1966. Josh Wolff, vice president of growth and strategy at the company, says much has changed in the last decade, with Ruby Co.’s expansion into new regions and segmentation, servicing customers across the country. Today, the company services large-scale national and regional retail systems, national foodservice chains, independent restaurants, broadline distributors and packers of private label products for distributors, wholesalers, retailers and packers.

Its core items are potatoes and onions, but the company also sells large amounts of sweet potatoes and apples, as well as processed items, which are all significant growth areas for the company.

“For us, the Chicago business is a small piece of our overall pie, although we’ve been solidified and based out of Chicago from the start,” says Wolff. “It’s been important to maintain our legacy at the produce terminal to support long-standing local retail and foodservice business. On top of having a terminal presence, it serves a secondary purpose as a Midwest hub we utilize as a redistribution point for the East, Northeast and Southwest.”

The CIPM adds value outside of the sales and operational aspect, he says, and having warehouse and storage facilities at the market serves other purposes from a corporate entity.

Wolff adds that being centrally located is a huge benefit to having a steady inventory of potatoes and onions.

EXPANDING LINES, REGIONS

The Ruby Co.’s subsidiary, Sweet Mama Produce, started as a growing operation for watermelons and quickly expanded into pumpkins.

“We’re now approaching the summer watermelon season, which we are excited about, as well as the fall for pumpkins,” notes Wolff. “These are large commodity areas for us as a company.”

The company is also growing, shipping and packing onions and lettuce under the Sweet Mama label.

“As of 2025, we are shipping out of 10 different facilities across the country,” says Wolff. “We established an operation to grow and pack fresh onions in California and also are expanding into New Mexico with another strategic packing operation. This is a large facility with a lot of runway. Overall, there is a lot of momentum for our core company Ruby and Sweet Mama businesses, and we are continually focused on reinvesting back into the businesses to support our growth path.”

Ruby’s strong sales are attributed to its customers, which are diverse and growing. “Our company is customer-driven and services more than 600 commercial purchasers across the country,” says Wolff. “Our goal is to expand and grow existing customers, many of which are national, which requires expansion into new regions for freight savings and to capitalize on new markets or regions.”

With the industry continuing to consolidate, Wolff says the strategy is to look for ways to differentiate and expand service offerings.

“We’ve looked at the growing side as a big opportunity,” says Wolff. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been reinvesting a lot into the ground and assets to propel our service offerings.”

Consolidation and competition in the marketplace have created a price-shopping mentality, especially because this is a dense geographic region.

“People are, in some cases, more focused on price and savings versus establishing consistent relationships in the market and leaning into legacy relationships,” Wolff explains. “We are focused on volume and packages to be a low-cost option on the terminal for potatoes and onions. This requires staying in front of people and getting your hands dirty.”

Still, Wolff is happy with the company’s position in the marketplace. “We like our position being the go-to for potatoes and onions,” says Wolff. “During summer, we always have fresh watermelon with fresh pumpkins in fall; both are seasonal commodities for us. With so much retail density in Chicago, it’s a great climate to sell seasonal commodities.”

MIDWEST IS STRONG

Basciani Group of Companies, a grower, packer and shipper of mushrooms, is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary. The fifth-generation, family-owned business was founded in 1925 by Emedio Basciani.

“Our company has been farming for 100 years, and we established business in Chicago in the late ’80s,” says Michael J. Basciani Sr., chief executive. “We sell 2 million pounds of fresh mushrooms a week.”

Basciani says doing business in the Midwest is fruitful. “We are big in foodservice, so our company grew in the Chicago area with distributors; we know everyone out here,” he says. “We like the way Chicago people eat, and the Midwest is a loyal customer base.”

It also means the company has good proximity to everything with its central location. “We can bounce off other states easily, as we are a central hub,” Basciani notes.

Due to its reputation, Basciani sales are consistent. “Mushroom prices don’t fluctuate, so business has remained pretty stable,” says Basciani. “A good mushroom buyer wants a good supplier, and customers only reach out to us if there’s a problem; fortunately, that’s rare.”

Basciani Companies is positioned as a foodservice expert, so the goal is to get its products on as many menus as possible.

“We want to give restaurant operators opportunities to make their menus bigger,” Basciani explains. “We pride ourselves on our on-time deliveries and stability.”