Selling wholesale means selling to a business or organization other than the final consumer. The way to get fresh produce ready depends on who the wholesale customer is and what their requirements are. However, there are some common practices and guidelines. Resources with additional information are provided below.
General Guides
Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Food Safety, Selling, Postharvest Handling, and Packing Produce. Available for purchase at https://goodfoodfarmertraining.org/buy-manuals/. Table of contents for 3rd edition available here: https://projects.sare.org/wp-content/uploads/Wholesale-Success.pdf. Much of the information in this guide is available in the resources below.
Post-Harvest Handling Decision Tool by Chris Blanchard. Based on case studies of three farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin, with summaries of systems used at seven other farms also. https://www.leopold.iastate.edu/files/pubs-and-papers/2013-11-post-harvest-handling-decision-tool.pdf .
USDA Grade Standards
These are voluntary standards. They provide a uniform language for buyers and sellers to describe products.
Fruits. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/fruits.
Vegetables. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/vegetables
Postharvest Handling and Storage
UC Davis Postharvest Research and Extension Center, Produce Fact Sheets https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/produce-facts-sheets. Each fact sheet includes information about how to determine when crop is ready to harvest, quality characteristics, recommended conditions for storage, and postharvest disorders and diseases. Includes photos. The fact sheets seem oriented towards the large-scale produce industry, but useful for all. The Postharvest Research and Information Center has a curated list of many other resources.
Small-Scale Postharvest Handling Practices: A Manual for Horticultural Crops (5th Edition, 2015). https://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Center_/files/231952.pdf . Videos on this topic are available on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@ucpostharvest/videos; search for “small-scale postharvest handling practices”
NC State Postharvest Technology Series https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/catalog/series/153.
Food Safety
Documentation of food safety practices may be required by wholesale buyers. Visit Safe Produce Indiana for information education about on-farm food safety for Indiana growers.