If you are in the food business in any way or you are looking to break into the industry, then you will know how difficult it is source the freshest produce. If you are looking for top quality chances are the prices are top quality too. Here are some ways you can source these without breaking the bank too much.

Look on the ‘Net

The internet is a very democratic space and therefore, allows many vendors to put up their wares thus driving prices down. You have to learn to strike a balance between price and quality but if you want an international brand like Lavazza for instance, it might be cheaper and more convenient for you to order it online where shipping is either free or nominally priced than buying it from a local distributor who will add taxes, transport and profit to his/her initial price. Exchange several emails before you make the final transaction and make sure to ask for all the necessary quality control standards. If all works out this is a great way for you to source top quality dry goods.

Go to the Market

There are farmer’s markets everywhere now to further democratize the process and profits of buying and selling. In these communal and weekly gatherings, you have the option of skipping the middleman and buying directly from the farmer or initial producer who should be getting the lion’s share anyhow. If you are looking for a long term supplier this is a great place to talk business; some farmers might welcome the idea of a steady customer. If that’s not your plan, then walk around and buy the ingredients yourself. Remember, a few bottles bought from a small-business owner using a eurocave wine fridge http://www.great-earth.net/en/brand/eurocave  will actually contribute more to the community than if you subscribe to ‘big business’ abroad.

Get Down and Dirty

The alternative to all this is to grow all or most of what you will need yourself. Plenty of restaurants and hotels now do this in order to go down the sustainable and responsible economy path. In the long run growing the veggies and fruits you need yourself will benefit you and your customers, even if it will be a lot of hard work at the start until you get into the groove. You can even choose to go organic as there is a big demand for responsible agriculture now that won’t hurt the environment. Food ultimately tastes better when the produce is fresh and it will literally be ‘farm to table’ by the time you are done.