Boston wholesale produce: the New England Produce Center
Boston Suppliers Directory · November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The main place to buy Boston wholesale produce is the New England Produce Center, at 300 Beacham St in Chelsea. Dozens of produce companies sell there from numbered stalls. To buy, you open an account with one or two of those companies. Then you order for delivery or pick up early in the morning.
What is the New England Produce Center?
It is a wholesale market, not a store. Produce companies rent stalls in its long buildings and sell by the case to stores and restaurants. Each company runs its own business, with its own staff, prices and rules.
The place is big. In 2017, WBUR described it as four buildings almost 3,000 feet long. It called the center the third-largest food distribution center in the country, getting produce to almost 8 million people in the region and parts of Canada. The same story said the trucks start rolling into the lot before dawn.
The directory's own count shows how much of the trade sits in one place. As of November 2026, it lists 76 produce suppliers in Massachusetts. 39 of them are in Chelsea, and most of those are stalls at the produce center. Boston has 4 and Everett has 3.
Who sells at the New England Produce Center?
Stall numbers matter when you go in person, since the rows are long. These are some of the stall companies the directory lists:
| Company | Stalls |
|---|---|
| Travers Fruit Co | 1 to 6 |
| Garden Fresh Salad Co | 15 to 20 |
| John Cerasuolo Co | 38 and 39 |
| Arrow Farms | 53 to 60 |
| S. Strock & Co. | 61 to 69, 85 and 86, 95 and 96 |
| Peter Condakes Company | 70 to 77 |
| D'Arrigo Bros. | 103 to 112 |
| Grant Stanton Produce | 113 to 116, 121 to 123 |
| Beacon Fruit and Produce | 119 and 120 |
| Coosemans Boston | 124 and 125 |
| Community-Suffolk | 126 to 128 |
The market's own listing has the main address if you need directions.
A few of these companies say more about themselves on their own sites. Peter Condakes Company says it has been in business since 1900. It lists supermarkets, wholesalers, foodservice providers and restaurants as customers.
S. Strock & Co. says it was founded in 1897 and sells both conventional and organic produce.
What other produce wholesalers are near Chelsea?
Not every produce supplier works out of a stall. The directory also lists these nearby:
- Baldor Specialty Foods, 130 Eastern Ave, Chelsea
- State Garden, 300 3rd St, Chelsea
- Costa Fruit & Produce, Bunker Hill Industrial Park, Charlestown
- Katsiroubas Produce, 200 Meadow Rd, Hyde Park
Each one sets its own way of taking orders. Check its site or ask when you set up the account. The produce page has every produce listing in the state.
How does buying at the produce market work?
Since each stall is its own company, you set up each one on its own. It helps to ask every stall the same questions, so you can compare them.
- Pick two or three stalls. Start with ones that carry what you use most. A second supplier helps on the day the first one runs short.
- Ask how they serve a place your size. Find out if they deliver to you, or if you pick up. Ask what time the order cutoff is.
- Fill out the credit application if you want to pay on terms. Many suppliers want payment at pickup or on delivery until your credit is approved.
- Learn the case sizes. Produce is sold by the case, box or bag. Ask the weight or count of a case before you compare prices.
- Set a standing order for staples like onions and lemons. Then add what looks good that week.
Plan to go early if you pick up. Blue Book Services, a produce trade publisher, listed the market's hours as 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily in 2015. Hours can change, so ask your stall before the first trip.
What should you bring to the produce market?
Bring what a new supplier will ask for. Then bring what keeps the produce in good shape on the drive back.
- Your legal business name, address and federal tax ID number
- A name and number the stall can reach about orders
- A way to pay that the stall takes, which you should ask about ahead
- A van or truck with room for full cases
- Moving blankets or insulated covers in winter
The cold matters this time of year. Greens and bananas can be hurt by freezing air in an unheated van. Cover them, and drive straight back to your walk-in.
Why does flooding at the produce center matter to buyers?
The produce center sits on the Island End River, a branch of the Mystic River. GBH News reported in April 2025 that it is one of the businesses closest to the shore and most at risk of flooding. Chelsea and Everett have planned a flood wall to protect the area. The same report said FEMA canceled a $50 million grant for that project.
For a buyer, this is one more reason to keep a second supplier. Ask your stall what happens to your order when a big storm shuts the roads. Then set up a backup account before you need it.
Where to find more produce suppliers
You can see every produce wholesaler the directory lists, in Chelsea and beyond, on the produce page. For seafood, meat and the rest of your order, start at the full directory.