Melissa Motejunas, General Manager

Same Price. Bigger Impact. Why Now’s the Time to Go Local with Your Broccoli

Here’s a little secret the produce world won’t shout from the rooftops: Right now, local, frozen broccoli is not only price-competitive with fresh—it might just be the better buy.

Let’s break it down:

📦 The Fresh Market (Boston, April 2025): What the distributors pay

• Fresh domestic broccoli florets (USA-grown), packed in 4×3 lb cases, are currently selling for $22–$24 per case.

• With the upcoming spring transition from Yuma to Salinas, prices are expected to rise.

• Think temporary supply gaps, weather challenges, quality fluctuations—this happens every year.

• Just last year on April 12, 2024, the same pack was selling for $26–$28 per case during this transition window.

• And don’t forget your distributors need to get paid! Distributors typically add a minimum 30% markup. So that $24 case? It’s now creeping toward $31 on your invoice.

🥦 The Harvesting Good Option:

• Local IQF broccoli florets, same 4×3 lb case, shelf-stable and frozen at peak freshness.

• No seasonal spikes. No surprise gaps.

• And—drumroll please—no increase in price as we head into spring.

So for the same cost or less, you can:

✅ Support small New England farms
✅ Reduce food waste with smart frozen storage
✅ Keep your menus consistent—rain, shine, or Salinas fog
✅ Fight hunger: Every bag helps fund food access programs in our region

Why wait for the market to tighten?

This is the time to stock up. Not just because the numbers make sense—but because every forkful of broccoli can do more when it’s local.