A Wholesaler-Distributor's Story Tom Chan and George Poulus of General Produce in Sacramento explained how produce distributors work. General Produce sells and delivers all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Chefs usually do not have time to seek out farmers. They rely on distributors to find products and deliver them. Modern distribution means a product can be picked, cleaned, processed, loaded, unloaded, to the consumer, and on the table in less than 24 hours.
Distributors communicate with their producers and customers by telephone.
This involves a tremendous amount of trust on all sides. The customers rely on the distributor to tell them what they have for sale, the quality and quantity of it, just as the distributor depends on the farmer to deliver what is promised. It is important that the relationship is fair and that everybody wins. If the grower doesn't feel it is advantageous to sell a product through a distributor, the relationship will fail. We are part of the process to get your product from the ground to the consumer, whether it be food service or a retail outlet.