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Real Produce is like having a Farmers Market all the time. The prices are sometimes cheaper than the regular Farmers Market but always cheaper than the regular grocery store. They have a nice selection of organic and traditional produce - fruits, veggies, etc. They also have a selection of prepackaged nuts and dried fruits. They also have a small cooler that has salad dressings, milk, and other misc. products.
I got the makings for 3 different large salsa recipes for under $12, whereas at the regular grocery store it would have cost me probably close to $30 for everything.
I love this place and other than the occasional Farmers Market - I always buy my produce here.
This place had been open for roughly one year, and I think it's great! My family comes here quite a bit if we shop at Trader Joes. This little produce market provides locally grown and organic produce that is priced very competitively when compared to your local American grocer. Locally grown produce is far better for the environment and your own health. The produce quality and taste is better, and it's consumed closer to its harvest time. Naturally produce is fresher and riper like this, therefore reducing the need for chemical preservatives or irradiation. This place definitely beats any Safeway or PW market on their produce price/quality point.
You can pickup numerous varieties of vegetables here, with organic versions available for some. Fruits are sometimes discounted if they are too ripe, which is a nice if you're making smoothies. I have to admit that the Trader Joes produce section pales in comparison to this place. I would recommend that you skip buying any little produce you can get from TJ's and just go here.
I'm also pretty sure I've seen the owner around this place on the weekends a while back. Screw the produce from Lunardi's, PW, Lucky's, and Whole Foods. Hands down, you will be better off buying from here!
Last year around this time, Real Produce was offering these small organic pomegranates (about the size of a tennis ball) 3 for $1. I was hesitant at first, thinking the seeds would probably be small, but for the price, it was worth the risk. And without risks, folks, there would be no rewards.
I carefully ripped through the thin hard skin to reveal the biggest, reddest, and sweetest pomegranate seeds I have ever tasted. My boyfriend and I went through 3 a day for a whole 2 weeks!
Ever since then, I keep waiting for pomegranate season to come around again, hoping that Real Produce will offer up those delicious gems once again.
(Real Produce offers affordable, locally grown, and often organic produce-- most of which are much tastier and cheaper than the supermarkets. Aside from their perpetually mushy avocados, their fruits and veggies are great!)
So a few months ago my girlfriend and I decided we were going to start buying our produce at the farmer's market. After the first week when we left with a small bag of produce and had spent $30 we thought we'd have to come up with a new plan.
Plan B was getting home delivery from a local farm. It was neat and easy but more expensive and we still had to go to the store to get the stuff we actually wanted.
Thank god we found plan C. On a trip to TJs we noticed it, and decided to give it a try. I couldn't believe how much we got for $20 of good organic produce. We cancelled our deliver immediately.
Their prices are unbelievable and the quality of the produce is top notch. And its right next to TJs! As long as there is Real Produce it is the only place I'll go for plants that I can eat.
Right next to Trader Joe's in Almaden Plaza. Great prices, and we've always found great produce here. I'm kind of disappointed that I moved to the other side of town now and am a bit further away, but for times when I can't make the local farmers market, I know that Real Produce will be waiting for me. :)
Pros: small business, lots of organics, lots of variety, very good prices
Cons: sometimes understaffed, have had some fruit (quite a bit, actually) go mushy before it was ripe
In spite of the cons, I buy almost all of our produce from there. I just avoid peaches and nectarines, since they go bad too quickly.
At first I was a bit skeptical...a Mom and Pop-type, strictly produce store in the midst of mall-mania? It seemed like a risky business venture to me but what do I know? Six months later and guess what? It's thriving!
One major advantage is there's parking and the location, odd as it may be, really is convenient for any mall-goers who may have stumbled upon it or are already tried and true repeat customers who just need a few more spuds for dinner and don't want to deal with the mega store's ( Costco or Walmart.)
Real Produce sells both organic and nonorganic fruits and vegetables. The prices are unbelievably good, especially when you're used to buying your organic produce at Whole Foods. The owner, Ted Surdis, does not even advertise and yet his business is thriving, seven days a week.
I think it's success is largely due to the smart location. People usually go to malls to be consumers. Then they get hungry. They can go eat and then return to their shopping frenzies. But now, when they see a place like Real Produce they can also make a quick dash in to pick up a few items without it being a major production since they're already there.
Secondly, the success is because of the quality of the produce and the unbelievably great prices. Surdis sells almost all of his goods in bulk which is really smart marketing because it gives the consumer the option to adjust the quantities to match his needs. Costco and Walmart are great if you have a large family or own a restaurant but for single people it's not really an option.
This past Saturday was my first time at Real Produce. I couldn't help but notice the California Certified Organic Farmer's Certificate prominently displayed at the entrance.
The produce looked crispy fresh and was artfully displayed. The color scheme reminded me of Plymouth Rock or do I mean my association with all things, Thanksgiving? The colors and vibes are warm, earthy and appetite-inspiring. Nature's abundance colliding in colorful harmony. Harvest-y plus bountiful equals fruition. Martha Stewart would shop here, no doubt about it!
Hands down, this is the best deal I've seen on both non-organic as well as certified organic food in years. I also noticed the fruits didn't have that glossy wax treatment; a little trick to make them shinier and therefore look tastier in hopes to move them out the door a little quicker.
I believe the supply and demand here is steady enough to guarantee that what you buy here does not linger on the shelves for long. "Fresh" is a given.
The score of the day was my basil. This was the cleanest, best intact bunch of basil I'd seen in ages and at $1.29 a pop I had to buy three. Visions of pesto were swirling through my head so next I looked for the other ingredients. The garlic was beautiful. check. Pine nuts, check. But lately I've been making my pesto with walnuts; which I found here at the rock bottom price of $3.99 per pound. The only thing I still needed was Parmesan cheese. I then remembered they didn't sell cheese.
But...I was happy to learn I didn't have to drive anywhere because right next door is a Trader Joe's and their selection is awesome. It takes a village to make a fabulous meal.
In the old days people went to specialty stores. They had a butcher, a fishmonger, a greengrocer, a creamery, a liquor store and perhaps even a florist to cover all the bases.
Since Real Produce is a specialty store it has that old world charm which you can really appreciate after spending just five minutes in a crowded airport-sized store like Costco or WalMart where everything is frozen or if its' fresh it's prepackaged or sold in a quantity too vast for the likes of "me."
I'm not a mall-person but this mall had just about everything one could possibly need. I could have gotten my hair cut, my nails done, looked at shoes and still find time to shop for produce.
I think this Mom & Pop enterprise surfacing in this unlikely location might just catch on like hotcakes. I'd like to see more stores like this and less of the "big guys."
"Real Produce" is already "real popular" and already a smashing success in its infancy! I'll be back.
And coming soon, they will have their very own reusable eco-friendly shopping bags sporting their artsy "Real Produce" logo.
I've had good luck at this place but have also experienced some bad produce mainly because I bought them organic and occasionally they will go bad more quickly or I have found little friends aka worms in the apples. Hey it happens with organic food...but I prefer pesticide free as much as possible so I take the good with the bad sometimes.
My usual stop is Trader Joe's next door but occasionally they don't have everything I need like jalapenos and ripe avocados, so I come next door to pick these things up.
Its small and it does get crowded. I have always had friendly service there. Price are affordable too.
Hopefully they can still stay in business once Whole Foods comes in across the street!
I'm a produce aisle junkie and have found myself checking out produce sections from Monterey to Huntington Beach.
With that said, I decided to check out Real Produce.
Location: great location, right next to Trader Joe's (lots of parking).
Variety: some Asian and Latin vege, variety melons (Orange Flesh Honeydew and Tuscan Cantaloupe) and a good selection of stone fruit and grapes. I was disappointed in the organic selection. There were organic bananas, organic peaches (overripe, soft and moldy), some organic vege like chard, but overall very little to no organics (when I was done at Real Produce I walked next door to buy the bulk of my produce).
Pricing: very, very competitive pricing. With what they do have there they are competitive (or cheaper) than almost any grocery store. If you can find the two or things you want here, you will save some money.
Quality: quality of the produce was fair to poor. I can understand if the quality was just fair and it was organic, but 90 percent of their produce is conventionally grown. I'm guessing they pick up a bulk of their produce from the San Francisco and Oakland Terminal markets (who in turn get it on consignment from growers). The melons were very poor quality (off sizes, scarring, ect). I did not taste the product, so I can not tell you if it looked awful but tasted great. Now it was not all bad. The red and green grapes looked great and some of their Asian vege looked very nice. However, their cherries and stone fruit were picked over, soft and yes...mushy.....
Overall opinion: I will give this retail experience a 3-star. Prices are awesome, quality and selection is hit or miss. If you can find two or three things to buy here, then walk next door to Trader Joe's to pick up the rest, then it's worth the trip there!
If you're a foodie like me, you'll want to shop here. It isn't much of a grocery store. It's just produce. Locally grown, high quality produce. I love how you can get cute little fingerling potatoes here! They have fresh produce for much cheaper than Albertsons and safeway.
I bought the fennel bc they were huge. I opted to make pasta out of it. My secret recipe for spaghetti has fennel in it and thats all im telling you.
After shopping here for several weeks, I had to come back and update this. They do not ALWAYS have the best prices, but they still have the best prices I've seen on a lot of the organic produce. Also, the quality of the produce seems to have declined since my first visit or two. The berries are frequently moldy or turn moldy within a day or two and some of the other produce (bell peppers and apples) seem to have a lot of bruises lately.
That said, there are still great deals to be found here and I will keep on doing the bulk of my produce shopping here. I'm just not as gung-ho about it as I was the first time I reviewed.
I love this store! They have a large selection or organic and local produce (at least 50% if not… Read more »
A Piece Of The Farmer's Market Right In The Mall
From ripe avocados, springy greens or sweet berries, Real Produce has a nice selection of quality well priced fruits and vegetables. Located in Almaden Plaza near Costco and Trader Joe's it is very convenient to pick up some fresh produce here while your shopping for bulk meat or inexpensive wine. Lettuce, green beans, corn, tomatoes, pineapples, limes, bananas and cantaloupes were just some of the selection today. A few stands line the sidewalk of the open store front, with the rest inside. They carry some good looking organic produce, bread, nuts and a cooler with some salad dressings, milk, OJ and cheese. Two check out registers made it a quick and easy shopping experience.
Snacks...
They just opened recently and are awsome. I work in the Almaden plaza and there is not too many food options but this place is great for my day to day fruit and veggy snack needs. they are very fairly priced and you could'nt get it any fresher even if you grew it your self.
This place is like a farmer's market inside of a retail store location! It's kind of like walking into a big produce refrigerator at the supermarket with a whole bunch of people in it.
Produce is fresh and good. Like all the varieties and selection. Seems to have a loyal following of customers as well. The only reason why it's not 5-stars is because it is sometimes easier for me to buy similar produce when I go to the grocery store - though maybe not exactly the same level of quality that Real Produce offers. So, it comes down to a matter of convenience for me.
I hope this place continues to do well since it's surrounded by Trader Joe's and Costco. Real Produce is a bit of a niche business, and it's one niche that I'll continue to support!
Wow! What a big disappointment! After reading these reviews well, I had to give it a try.
I picked up a package of raspberries and they were moldy. In fact, almost all of them were! I also checked out the blackberries--same problem--moldy.
I also witnessed wilted, dry looking greens. Needless to say, I was unimpressed & left the store empty handed.
This was in the morning too--around 10:30 or so.
I like this place! This place is well priced and has more variety than Trader Joe's produce next door. This place is heaven for those people like myself that love ripe veggies that are eaten up the same night. It is true that often things are on the riper side (thus maybe having a better price- need to sell it fast) but for those people who cook more often, its no big deal. I especially like the nice staff that are ready for you at check out when you are done!
Remember to bring your re-usable bags (they provide them if you don't) because one plastic bag takes minutes to make but sits/rots years and years in the garbage landfill. Do you part to save the earth!
This little shop sure has some big cajones for deciding to open up next to Trader Joes and the not-yet opened Whole Foods across the street.
But anyways, it's a tiny little produce market with fruits/veggies, milk, and other random things. Prices aren't the cheapest around, but it is alot cheaper then Trader Joes.
I don't know how fresh everything is overall, (i saw some moldy and wilted items) but for the most part everything looked fine.
The name of the store is also misleading, I was confused whether everything was actually organic or not since some items were clearly marked organic and some weren't.
Overall I like it though, especially useful if you only need 1 or 2 of something, and didn't want to buy a 10 pack at Costco.
This is a great place to buy organic fruits and veggies without breaking the bank. The quality of the produce is quite good here, although some items can ripen very quickly and spoil before you have a chance to eat them. I'm not sure why this happens, maybe because organic produce doesn't have the same chemicals used in ordinary produce sold at the supermarket? Bearing this in mind I usually try to buy small amounts of fruits and veggies that I want for the week. Prices here are insanely reasonable, which helps me to eat healthy without going bankrupt (yes Whole Foods I'm looking at you)! Trader Joe's is right next door so this is a pretty convenient spot for me to do my weekly grocery shopping at, although parking in that lot drives me nuts sometimes. Bottom line decent selection, good quality, and outstanding prices will make me a repeat customer.
This place is very, very cheap. I bought all the fruits and vegetables I need for the weekend for $2.87.
The quality is better than at the supermarket, and there is more of local origin than at Trader Joe's. It's also very fast to go in and out. The employees are friendly. So I would say that what you get is better, but the prices are amazing.
This place is great.
To reiterate, great-tasting produce, much of which is organic or local (and thankfully labeled as such!) for pretty damn good prices. Real produce prices. I kid you not I got: 10 tangerines, 2 pomegranates, 2 japanese yams, 4 hot peppers, a clamshell of strawberries, 2 bananas, 4 kiwis, 2 apples, and some other things I can't recall, most of which was organic and/or local, and it rung up to just over $10.
For those of you familiar with true, local mart prices, this is to be expected, but right here? In San Jose, in the middle of a stucko-ed shopping center that shares a parking lot with Trader Joe's and is across the street from a new Whole Foods? Pretty damn awesome. It is immediately apparent upon actually comparing WF produce and TJ produce that Real Produce is where it's at for all your veggie needs, often times in both price and selection.
I was happy to see that they label which things are local and organic, often times putting out a box with the label of the farm right on it (although I am hoping eventually their signage will have more details about the farm/farmers). They had most everything I could want in a produce mart, even kiwis and organic apples from California! It is apparent the buyer actually pays attention to the origin and distribution of his products, because although, for instance, the Washington apple company purchases some apples from CA to stick their logo on and sell nationally, this store (at the time I went there) was only selling those which were grown here.
To top off all the organic and local choices, like I said, it's not even expensive! In fact, in many cases, I'm pretty sure it would be less expensive to buy organic versions of produce here than conventionally-grown from your chain stores. Last but not least-- and this is important-- it isn't pretentious at all. So for all you folks who hate the "posh produce people", or maybe you re just busy on Farmer's Market days, or you simply want steals for your food, you should at least check this place out.
To be fair, I am going to go ahead and cut them a little bit of slack for the moldy berries, because I have had the exact same thing happen to me more than twice in the last 4 months at Trader Joe's. I'd rather support this place anyway. They haven't been open that long at all, and I'm sure they are still working out some kinks, but the fact that whenever I go I see the owner buzzing around the store stocking the produce and talking to customers himself indicates, to me anyway, that they will probably be attentive and listening to customer opinions and will work hard to improve. I'll return for a follow-up review if something changes.
San Jose, CA
Category: Health Markets
San Jose, CA
Category: Specialty Food
San Jose, CA
Category: Korean
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