Who says that produce can’t be an art form?
One look at our gorgeous wall sculpture and you’ll be inspired to take a quick pic. (Go ahead… it isn’t the Mona Lisa!) Designed by Mike Gray, one of our produce department employees, the display was fabricated and welded in his single car garage. It now graces the covers of grocery trade magazines across the country.
We’ve always done things differently around here. Produce as art? Why the hell not?
You’ll find rows and rows of fresh, beautiful fruits and vegetables arranged with care by a team of people who absolutely love what they do. They are true produce artists.
Like any good artist, they keep things interesting. Life is to be celebrated, right? Being more adventurous with your food is one way to do that.
Try sumpin’ different
For those who like to take a walk on the produce wild side, we’ve got a selection of weirdly wonderful fruits and veggies that make Google search on your phone your new best friend. Jackfruit? Yeah, it looks like a giant dinosaur egg and it’s exhilarating to cut one open. Occasionally able to snag one from the bizarre fruit lineup. Shishito peppers? Snatch them up when you can. Galanga root (thai ginger) and turmeric root are constantly within reach. And we always carry radicchio, kohlrabi and other exotic leafy vegetables.
For 18 years in a row, the Source Weekly’s community poll has voted us the Best Grocery Store in Bend. We are both humbled and honored. This year, for the first time, we were also voted Best Produce in Bend. When we heard the news, Brian turned cartwheels in the aisles and Rudy danced the Macarena on check stand five. Not really… but boy, were we excited. Our crew was so incredibly proud of what they achieved.
You see, we’ve worked extremely hard to make our produce department the best in Bend. We source the best fruits and veggies from around the world, as well as in our own backyard. (Hello, Volcano Veggies!) Our organic wall is growing, complete with fresh greens perfect for juicing.
Keepin’ it local
We recently teamed up with Scronce Farms, a small 20-acre neighborhood operation just 10 miles east of Bend, to grow local produce sold exclusively at Newport Ave Market. Beets and carrots have already made their way into our aisles. It’s a labor of love that’s been in the works since January.
Keeping it local whenever possible, traveling to food shows, and exploring food trends makes our produce department R-O-C-K. But don’t forget about its most important asset… our people.
Our employees are knowledgeable about produce and devoted to their careers. They can tell you in a heartbeat the difference between the 8 kinds of mushrooms on our back wall. Did you know that our Produce Manager Brian has been in the fruits and veggies business since 1971? Produce is his passion and he’s always eager to share his enthusiasm.
Our customers love us too!
Our customer Kristie recently shared this story with us:
“Today my husband and I came into the store and asked Brian about a rather obscure ingredient that a recipe required. We had already made the dish, but were interested in finding out if Newport Market had the item (as no other place in town seemed to). My husband spoke to Brian about it. He was knowledgeable and gave us information where we could find the item. A few minutes later, Brian found us on the other side of the store and supplied us with an email that we could use to find the item. Thank you, Brian, for your thoughtfulness. And thank you, Newport, for being a great store.”
Who does that anymore? Yep… we do.