Why Buy Wholesale Pre-cut Vegetables and Pre-cut Fruit for Your Restaurant 

Pre-cut apples, carrots, onions, and squash, oh my! Pre-cut vegetables and fruit can make for not only delicious meals but for smart business, too. As a New Jersey restaurant food distributor, we at Riviera Produce pride ourselves on sourcing wholesale produce (that includes fresh, pre-cut vegetables and fruit) from the trusted family farms our customers know. And for our customers this means a wide selection of fresh and largely locally-sourced produce from turnips to watermelons and red onions – 145 options currently to be exact.

What is pre-cut produce?

Pre-cut fruit and vegetables are exactly what it sounds like. Instead of purchasing whole pieces of fruit and veggies by the pound that you have to wash, cut and dice once they arrive in your kitchen, you can purchase farm fresh produce already pre-cut and already cleaned. Produce can come diced, sliced, bias cut, cubed, etc., before being packaged and arriving at your business.

You may often hear the term fresh-cut produce as well. And truth be told in our opinion, not all pre-cut produce is fresh-cut. Often times pre-cut produce may not be so fresh or locally-sourced or picked at the right time — leaving you with less than ideal under or overripe product. Maintaining quality holds true with all our wholesale produce, and that certainly includes our pre-cut options. It is important to note, that while no additives or preservatives are used, pre-cut produce is technically considered processed as its original form has changed.

So Why Choose Wholesale Pre-Cut Produce for Your Business?

Time and money are valuable resources in any industry. And in the restaurant business increasing your profit margins by making smart inventory purchases and minimizing waste, all while maintaining high-standards can make a big difference.

Here are some of the top reasons to consider purchasing pre-cut produce wholesale.

Reduce labor and maintenance costs:

Some may argue that while buying pre-cut wholesale produce, you are in a sense paying for someone else to chop and prep fruits and veggies. On the flip side, you can minimize paying an hourly wage – currently averaging $24/hour — for a sous chef to take the time and the space in your kitchen to prep for hours before the day and service even begin. Working with the right tools in a kitchen produces a quality output, and all that chopping, slicing and dicing creates wear-and-tear on knives and other equipment, increasing the need for maintenance and replacements which equal additional funds.

Minimize staff injuries:

Did you know that in 2009, over 13,000 restaurant workers lost at least a day of work due to job-related lacerations? This represents nearly 16% of all restaurant worker injuries? Yikes! That’s a lot of short-staffed nights and other medical and legal costs, along with food waste. Purchasing wholesale produce that’s pre-cut can help minimize injuries from chopping, dicing, and slicing by keeping those high-volume and high-risk activities at a minimum.

Decrease the chance of cross-contamination:

Clean and contain make up two of the four C’s when it comes to food safety (the other two are cook and chill). And when you have a kitchen with raw meat, raw seafood, and fresh produce – the hands and tools touching each should never get mixed up without proper sanitation. Having some fruits and vegetables pre-cut can help really decrease the risk of an accidental mix-up happening. Cutting boards and containers are two main culprits where cross-contamination occurs. If your wholesale produce comes in pre-cut, it becomes one less task for you and your staff to keep in check.

Maintain consistent recipes and presentation:

If you’re looking to have ten pounds of mirepoix cut into 3/8-inch pieces all day every day, your best bet may be to invest in the mixture of pre-cut carrots, celery, and onions producing a consistent end product time and time again. And just think, when you purchase a whole fruit, like a pineapple, after cutting the edible parts, all the extra weight you paid for just gets tossed in the garbage or composter. Ten pounds of pre-cut pineapple is not the same as ten pounds of fresh. No two chefs will cut, chop or dice exactly the same which can lead to inconsistency and the same exact dish looking much different. Presentation and consistency are just part of what helps make a restaurant successful but are vital parts and an area where purchasing wholesale pre-cut produce can make a big difference.

Reduce waste and costs associated with waste removal:

Imagine no peeling, chopping off the ends, or cutting away bruised spots on whole fruits and veggies. All the product received can be cooked and served as is minimizing wasted product (and cost) along with the hassle of waste removal. According to research, up to 10% of raw food in commercial kitchens can end up as garbage.

Take time invest in what matters most:

Prep-work takes time and money and running a successful restaurant business requires a lot of both. Leaving even just some of the chopping and dicing of your produce can leave you with time to invest even more in other aspects of your business – marketing, staff training and development, new décor, etc.

Looking to purchase wholesale fresh-cut fruits and vegetables? If you’re in the New Jersey, New York, or Philadelphia areas, you’re in luck! Riveira Produce proudly provides wholesale produce from trusted family farms since 1993.