At Farm to People, most of what we sell is grown within 200 miles of New York City. Supporting local and regional farmers is the priority. Some things can’t be grown here, though, and for plenty of others our season is short.

California grows for much of the year, and it grows a wide range. When our own fields are between crops, it is often the closest place still harvesting at the scale we need. Buying from there keeps produce on the site that would otherwise appear for a few weeks and vanish.

Grown in California is a region, not a single farm. The growers behind it change with the crop and the week, which is why we name the state rather than a farm we can’t guarantee. When we buy from one grower consistently, you’ll see their name instead.

We buy through distributors and brokers who work with several growers rather than one dominant supplier, and we tell them which labels we’ll take and which we won’t. That supply is smaller than the conventional one, so packaging can change between orders.

Whether it’s grown an hour away or across the country, every item we sell has to meet the same quality standards.