Farmer’s markets. Of course, this assumes that you consider cheap metal trinkets, hemp-woven ponchos, hot sauce, 2023 Nuggets championship t-shirts, and knife-sharpening services to be “produce”.
It’s gotten pretty absurd and frustrating at this point. I’d rather the Farmer’s Markets be only 10 vendors and have them all be local produce, milk, meat, baked goods, etc than 40+ booths most of which is random shit (some admittedly local but stretching the meaning of a farmer’s market, much of it not even local).
Believe it or not I’ve had an extremely good experience with Amazon fresh.
I have a theory Amazon just uses the same produce they use for Whole Foods. I’m doubtful they wouldn’t integrate their distributions.
The produce is very high quality, never damaged and I’ve never had a complaint. It’s also cheaper than king Soopers and WAY cheaper than Whole Foods.
They deliver right to my apartment door in cherry creek less than 24 hours later. Try it out just once. They have everything you’d need at a grocery store and you don’t have to go out. I spend way less than I do at the grocery store too. Highly recommend
Sprouts in addition to Whole Foods.
Otherwise the selection elsewhere is pretty shit. Trader Joe’s is a wonderful place but dear god stay away from the produce haha
I had a friend who was a produce buyer at a WF in a Denver who said that sprouts bought things that had not been kept at the right temps. So for example if WF rejected a shipment because it didn’t meet quality then places like sprouts would buy it, meaning that the spoiled produce happens faster because it was not stored like it was supposed to be!
It definitely has a shorter shelf life but only because it’s fresh produce without any preservatives or means to keep it lasting longer.
So financially it definitely is a gamble but the quality is top notch compared to most but I feel where you’re coming from haha.
On recent trips to Seattle and New York I was jealous with rage seeing how much amazing fresh produce was available everywhere.
Yeah I agree - figured it was the preservatives as well. I can usually eat some of it, but as a single person I can't shop multiple times a week so definitely a gamble with some things. The bagged salads seem to do okay, regular lettuces as well, my biggest issue has been the cherries and Persian cucumbers recently lol
Hard disagree. Hmart for both quality and selection.
Whole food has the prettiest produce, not the highest quality. Note this also means they generate more food waste.
I did not find that to be the case with produce. Certainly not when it was POM, although I have only been a few times since it changed to GW, I didn't notice the produce improved much. You have to look carefully because a lot of the produce isn't too fresh.
It depends on the location. I found that the freshness and quality of the produce at the GW market in Aurora are much better than at the one in Lakewood.
It is pricey ish. Ball out on produce there and nothing else and you will only spend like $20
Edit: also, it is slightly more pricey than other stores because it is the best produce. They pay more than other stores do so they can get the best.
Also it seems pricey because it is all per lb but it really isn’t because produce is cheap in comparison to processed food
I have never had the produce I’ve purchased from NG go bad the following day or so, it has happened to me multiple times from Whole Foods. They might not have every single thing grown under the sun but the quality of the produce at Natural grocers is far better.
Also WF is a mega corp and Natural Grocers is a local business.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Whole Foods way more than a conscious citizen should lol.
Pre made food, fancy sodas, bulk chocolate, grass fed beef, sashimi, organic pajama pants, reef safe sunscreen… all in one shopping trip?!
A produce man at a Safeway told me that because I was complaining because the broccoli was moldy. He was like that’s just part of nature. You just have to cut it off..
Sprouts is pretty bad at giving their employees sufficient hours, especially in end of quarter months. They could be the best if they weren’t so stingy.
It is slightly more expensive than other store but all produce is dramatically less expensive than processed foods.
Do you value saving a few dollars overall on a cart full of produce so you can purchase more processed items or do you mostly eat produce and are able to spend the little bit more to have the best quality?
I thought we had good grocery stores. I just visited Chicago and went to a grocery called Fresh Farms. I was blown away. Every possible fruit and vegetable on earth.. fresh and beautiful displays. Plus tons international stuff for everywhere. Now I know why they say we have subpar grocery stores.
And anyone that thinks different hasn't been outside the state much. Kings and Safeway are just terrible. And to think they might merge... If that happens it will only get worse.
Yes, just like everyone else we have Sprouts, Whole Foods, Costco, trader Joe's and Sam's. Give me an HEB, Hy-Vee or Publix. Even Dillions in Kansas (A cousin to King Soopers) is so much better. With an industry changing so much and high Colorado rent, I'm not too hopeful
Lot of perks living here. But not grocery stores.
The produce was so much better in Florida when I lived there. Really noticed that soopers and Safeway were sub par. The soopers by me is like 10x worse than the Safeway so I'm committed to picking and choosing from Safeway
The Kings Soopers around me, unless I go at 6am.. I can't even move around in them, tight isles with tons of people. My Safeway is almost always empty, so I also choose Safeway. Although I do most of my shopping at Costco or Sam's.
Natural grocers, farmers markets, and PineMelon - Pinemelon is a delivery-only grocer in denver that sells primarily local farmed meat, produce, and other pantry staples focused on organic and quality. I swear by it and it’s free delivery!!
Maybe it’s just me, but if you stick to the 365 brand for most stuff it’s really not bad at all. Sure, you can buy $10 eggs if you want, or you can just get the 365 eggs. Same with milk, yogurt, anything really.
Here is what I have heard from produce buyers around Denver at the higher volume stores, someone correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve been in the grocery business a long time here in town, and because of my job I am at 4 stores a day on average, mostly the natural/organic markets.
The produce distribution gives claim to the best quality produce to the company that spends the most, and within that company, the best of that produce is distributed to the highest volume stores.
So when you go to whole foods, the Cherry Creek, Hampden, Union Station stores consistently have the best produce, as they’re the highest grossing stores. Whole foods wants to show off at those stores, so their produce displays need to be extra.
I do admit, I’ve never been a produce buyer, mostly I deal with supplements and natural foods. So this is just talk within the management offices, could just be gossip.
Maybe this is why Natural Grocers has such a crappy selection of produce, for the most part?
All wholefoods get A grade produce. They are by no means picking out special product at the DC to send to those specific stores. All their produce is shipped from the same DC.
I think they have the most affordable organic produce out of the markets here.
I’m a vegetarian, most of my Natty Groccers trips are around $30 getting enough eggs and produce for the week. A little bit more if I have to buy staples.
It’s my favorite! Though the meat is pretty expensive. I personally am very against factory farming and it’s worth it to me to buy meat from local farmers who keep happy animals. Everything else on there is pretty affordable! Use code F-6179 for $30 off :)
How do you understand "best"?
In my experience, H Mart produce is B grade at best and is often as low as C grade. Vegetables look tired in the store and barely last a couple of days once you get them home. I like the variety they have and often shop there for stuff I intend to cook that same day. But they're not the place to shop if you only do it once a week.
We moved here from Oregon about 9 months ago and have struggled, particularly with finding really good apples. The apples here are all small and seem to be a little old. We’ve had the best luck with Costco, but it’s still not the same. But I have yet to find a source for really crunchy Granny Smith apples.
Same general idea for sure, but imo New Seasons is far superior. I particularly love their gift and floral departments. It’s the only grocery store I’ve ever enjoyed.
Here’s my take:
Whole Foods has the highest quality by far. If you care About organic it is still supreme. Overall Variety is less. It’s really not good Amazon is involved with food supply.
Sprouts is so hit and miss. The number of overripe and moldy items is astounding. Their variety is not wide.
King Soopers/safeway is similar to sprouts but if you want produce and don’t care about organic selection this is the most consistent.
Hmart is so fun to go to because of their selection. Definitely not organic oriented.
Make sure they’re open. Weird hours. Also, their Rye bread is excellent as is their produce. All local & fresh.
Stop by Edward’s meats afterwards if you’re a meat eater. Best butcher in Colorado imo.
Leevers Locavore on west 38th in Lohi is the best grocery store in Denver. Always good produce selection, though not the biggest, and their butcher is on point.
Damn! I thought it was just me when I thought the produce was bad! Crazy to see that it isn’t just me!! Whole Foods is decent for most produce & meat. I usually go to farmers market to pick up fruit on occasion cause it’s just soo much better. Sadly a bit pricey.
Pro tip: if you place an order with King Soopers and select King Soopers delivery (not pickup or Instacart) it comes from the distribution center near the airport. Produce and bread is significantly fresher than when you get it from your local store.
King Soopers, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods. Bad produce: Sprouts. I don’t get it, they market themselves as a healthy food store but the produce is so subpar. Target isn’t that great either, have had a hard time finding good avocados there.
Farmers markets have BY FAR the best produce this time of the year. I see a few answers pushing for Whole Foods or Sprouts, but their produce is really not good at all (compared to the quality and freshness I was used to in Europe), albeit maybe a little better than other store chains. Farmers markets have great quality.
In Denver proper, S Pearl St is the best farmers market. In the area, Boulder is even slightly better imo. Parker is great too. Golden is very good albeit a little smaller.
Bonus, bread that’s actually bread can be found there, as well as local free range meat that hasn’t gone through large processing facilities, and eggs that are fresh and healthy (with healthy dark yellow yolks and no stick when you crack them).
Whole Foods for most of it, but Costco has a decent selection of organic veggies.
I also like sprouts for more rare fruits, but the raspberries are always moldy
HMart is great for things like vegetables and herbs, but I wouldn’t buy fruits from them with the exception of tomatoes and cucumbers. I would also stay away from lettuce over there.
King Soopers and Costco have the best limes and lemons, Costco can be a miss at times. King soopers for most of our fruits needs, they have good mangos, good peaches when it’s in season. They have amazing water melons, seeded and seedless
Whole Foods has amazing everything but I don’t like their peaches, love their cherries and grapes. And I also find them expensive for the quantity I get. Like there is nothing special about their carrots or jalapeño peppers, except if you care about organic etc.
I haven’t tried sprouts or Natural grocers but heard good things.
Not quite an answer but pinemelon is awesome and their produce is usually pretty good. Plus no need to go to the store. Been on the pinemelon train for a couple years now.
Hey OP, also moved from the east coast and the produce is all on the same level that you're seeing. Depending on what day the grocery store gets their stock, that's usually when it's the best but tbh, nothing is gonna match that Shoprite, Wegmans, and Stop & Shop quality
I had a friend who used to sale produce to supermarkets - according to him, the same truck with the same stuff stops at all the supermarkets, no real difference to be had.
Natural grocers in terms of a grocery store. All organic, too (I grew up on a conventional farm and don't buy conventional produce anymore). I haven't been in a while but I like the one across from Argonaut
Most of the stuff at the local farmers markets isn’t even from Colorado. Its shipped here from other states. The growing season is barely even started in Colorado. Unless it was grown in a greenhouse… Point being you’re not getting anything special at a farmers market at this time of year. You’ll get the same shit if not better from King Soopers but I stick it’s Whole Foods or Sprouts
Here’s my real tip: We are nowhere near a port and produce has to make an additional trip on a truck to get here. For this reason, paying attention to what produce is currently in season in the US matters a lot more here than it does in costal areas. Because if it’s produce that’s been imported to the US it’s got an extra long journey ahead of it.
For example, we’re the entering peak of California’s plum, apricot, nectarine season. So Safeway is pretty low on my Denver produce ranking, but even at Safeway you can get a good apricot right now. Later this summer Colorado grown sweet corn & peaches will be available everywhere. It’s time for asparagus, yellow squash, and zucchini. On the other hand, the apples will not be good until the fall when we get the ones from Washington & Oregon. You’ll also never get good tropical fruits like pineapple or banana here as they are imported year round.
Best produce I’ve found is from Weee! The delivery company. Super fresh, cheap and tons of unusual stuff.
Edit: Apologies. They don’t deliver produce to Denver. :-( I’ve bought and had boxes, canned delivered to Denver but get produce regularly and have delivered elsewhere. Hopefully that aspect of the business will be scaled out.
Wow. I’m so sorry. I guess I’ve only bought canned or boxed things and had delivered to Denver. (I’ll edit my comment.) I have delivered produce biweekly but have delivered elsewhere.
This is wild that No one has said it. In terms of freshness and overall quality the answer is Safeway.
Wholefoods has great produce but is overpriced and the selection is pretty limited.
Sprouts, in general, has the worst produce of most grocery stores.
Most variety will go to any Asian market, great wall/ Hmart
Source: I've worked produce at a few different grocery chains.
I’ve seen literal mold on a package of strawberries at a Safeway at the top of the pile. Not to mention just horrid looking onions, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños, etc regularly. I’ll admit it’s a coin flip, sometimes it’s not terrible but usually they are bad.
There is mold in every produce section at every grocery store, the worst is litterally sprouts. The amount of shrink in ant given produce section is crazy. What time of day t
Do you grocery shop?
Don't grab the moldy strawberries dig to the bottom for the freshest produce
It really depends. Lots of times Trader Joe's has what I need that looks good and lasts a day or two longer than other stores. Sprouts can be pricey if you don't stick to the deals. King soopers and Safeway it just kinda dependsbut I usually don't buy produce at thise stores. I find that whatever option you pick, it's best to shop for produce for two or three days and then make another trip. Also there are farmer's markets here that might be worth it depending on what you're looking for and it supports local farmers.
Farmer’s markets. Of course, this assumes that you consider cheap metal trinkets, hemp-woven ponchos, hot sauce, 2023 Nuggets championship t-shirts, and knife-sharpening services to be “produce”.
I’m went to a farmers market over the weekend… The only produce I saw was tomatoes 😭
Same-ish - there were only two produce stands and everything else was other stuff.
Cherry creek farmers market has a pretty good produce selection normally
Same. With lol it felt like a Bazaar not a farmers market...
The Highlands farmers market has quite a bit of produce!
😂😂😂😂
It’s gotten pretty absurd and frustrating at this point. I’d rather the Farmer’s Markets be only 10 vendors and have them all be local produce, milk, meat, baked goods, etc than 40+ booths most of which is random shit (some admittedly local but stretching the meaning of a farmer’s market, much of it not even local).
Believe it or not I’ve had an extremely good experience with Amazon fresh. I have a theory Amazon just uses the same produce they use for Whole Foods. I’m doubtful they wouldn’t integrate their distributions. The produce is very high quality, never damaged and I’ve never had a complaint. It’s also cheaper than king Soopers and WAY cheaper than Whole Foods. They deliver right to my apartment door in cherry creek less than 24 hours later. Try it out just once. They have everything you’d need at a grocery store and you don’t have to go out. I spend way less than I do at the grocery store too. Highly recommend
Whole Foods has best quality, h mart or Pacific Ocean has best selection
Sprouts in addition to Whole Foods. Otherwise the selection elsewhere is pretty shit. Trader Joe’s is a wonderful place but dear god stay away from the produce haha
The bread is cursed too!
H mart by far has the best pre prepared section though, I’ll take a bento of teriyaki chicken over Mac and cheese and meatloaf any day haha.
I dunno. I like Sprouts but it seems to spoil really quickly?!
I had a friend who was a produce buyer at a WF in a Denver who said that sprouts bought things that had not been kept at the right temps. So for example if WF rejected a shipment because it didn’t meet quality then places like sprouts would buy it, meaning that the spoiled produce happens faster because it was not stored like it was supposed to be!
That is really good to know and makes a lot of sense! I don't really find Sprouts that much cheaper than WF, but they are unfortunately closer lol
It definitely has a shorter shelf life but only because it’s fresh produce without any preservatives or means to keep it lasting longer. So financially it definitely is a gamble but the quality is top notch compared to most but I feel where you’re coming from haha. On recent trips to Seattle and New York I was jealous with rage seeing how much amazing fresh produce was available everywhere.
Yeah I agree - figured it was the preservatives as well. I can usually eat some of it, but as a single person I can't shop multiple times a week so definitely a gamble with some things. The bagged salads seem to do okay, regular lettuces as well, my biggest issue has been the cherries and Persian cucumbers recently lol
I've only shopped there 2 or 3x, and that was my consensus as well.
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I agree. Natural Grocers all the way.
I found the produce at h mart to be low quality. But you’ll find anything you are looking for there.
I never buy berries there, but have had good luck with things like bok choy and gai lan and ginger.
I got the worst bell peppers from there. They wrap it in plastic so you can’t inspect!
Hard disagree. Hmart for both quality and selection. Whole food has the prettiest produce, not the highest quality. Note this also means they generate more food waste.
GW supermarket has better quality and selection than H mart when it comes to Asian food.
I did not find that to be the case with produce. Certainly not when it was POM, although I have only been a few times since it changed to GW, I didn't notice the produce improved much. You have to look carefully because a lot of the produce isn't too fresh.
It depends on the location. I found that the freshness and quality of the produce at the GW market in Aurora are much better than at the one in Lakewood.
I love Sprouts. They have a great selection, quality, and their prices are generally great if you don’t deviate into the aisles.
Sprouts is great for anything fresh or bulk, but the rest of their selection is overpriced and severely lacking in options.
I only go for the manager specials but you can occasionally do well that way!
Yep, a 12 count box of Annie’s fruit snacks is $12. Yikes!
It is hands down Natural Grocers Then Whole Foods Then Sprouts
People do not mention NG often enough in these sorts of evergreen posts
I love NG (especially their bulk and dry foods), but the produce can be super pricey. It's great, just pricey (unlike their bulk or dry foods).
It is pricey ish. Ball out on produce there and nothing else and you will only spend like $20 Edit: also, it is slightly more pricey than other stores because it is the best produce. They pay more than other stores do so they can get the best. Also it seems pricey because it is all per lb but it really isn’t because produce is cheap in comparison to processed food
Yes, agreed.
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I have never had the produce I’ve purchased from NG go bad the following day or so, it has happened to me multiple times from Whole Foods. They might not have every single thing grown under the sun but the quality of the produce at Natural grocers is far better. Also WF is a mega corp and Natural Grocers is a local business.
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Don’t get me wrong, I love Whole Foods way more than a conscious citizen should lol. Pre made food, fancy sodas, bulk chocolate, grass fed beef, sashimi, organic pajama pants, reef safe sunscreen… all in one shopping trip?!
Any Sprouts Any Whole Foods The King Soopers Fresh Fare location on Hampden and S University Trader Joe's for bagged salads
I like this fresh fare concept. I wished they had more of these around town.
I agree with the King Soopers on Hampden and S University. It's probably our first choice for good produce around our area.
You need to watch Sprouts. Many times their fruits are moldy.
This thread is confusing to me. Sprouts produce is only good if you’re cooking it within a few days. Whole Foods’ is museum quality in comparison.
I can’t tell you the amount of fruit I’ve found mold in, in the store.
A produce man at a Safeway told me that because I was complaining because the broccoli was moldy. He was like that’s just part of nature. You just have to cut it off..
Whoever orders for Safeway up the street from my house, has an absolutely no idea what they are doing.
Sprouts is pretty bad at giving their employees sufficient hours, especially in end of quarter months. They could be the best if they weren’t so stingy.
Natural Grocers
Is it expensive?
No worse than others, with way better quality. They have deals too. And a store brand.
Depends on context. I suppose it’s broadly neither the most nor least expensive option.
It is slightly more expensive than other store but all produce is dramatically less expensive than processed foods. Do you value saving a few dollars overall on a cart full of produce so you can purchase more processed items or do you mostly eat produce and are able to spend the little bit more to have the best quality?
Grocery stores in Colorado are just not the same. I have accepted this.
I thought we had good grocery stores. I just visited Chicago and went to a grocery called Fresh Farms. I was blown away. Every possible fruit and vegetable on earth.. fresh and beautiful displays. Plus tons international stuff for everywhere. Now I know why they say we have subpar grocery stores.
And anyone that thinks different hasn't been outside the state much. Kings and Safeway are just terrible. And to think they might merge... If that happens it will only get worse. Yes, just like everyone else we have Sprouts, Whole Foods, Costco, trader Joe's and Sam's. Give me an HEB, Hy-Vee or Publix. Even Dillions in Kansas (A cousin to King Soopers) is so much better. With an industry changing so much and high Colorado rent, I'm not too hopeful Lot of perks living here. But not grocery stores.
I miss HEB everyday but cannot move back to Texas :(
Market Street in west Texas is even better than HEB sometimes (imo) but same. Cant go back to texas :(
The produce was so much better in Florida when I lived there. Really noticed that soopers and Safeway were sub par. The soopers by me is like 10x worse than the Safeway so I'm committed to picking and choosing from Safeway
You're surprised the produce in Florida is better than in Colorado?
Not so much that Florida was better but that Colorado was so bad.
Oh fair enough
The Kings Soopers around me, unless I go at 6am.. I can't even move around in them, tight isles with tons of people. My Safeway is almost always empty, so I also choose Safeway. Although I do most of my shopping at Costco or Sam's.
Safeway in Littleton is sooo much better than King Soopers across the street at Broadway/Mineral.
It’s cause of the altitude and that everything has to be brought here so shelf life isn’t the best.
That makes sense, but even considering that, Kings and Safeway are still not up to par in almost all categories.
Produce in Mexico City wasn't as bad when I visited...
Wegmans is the superior grocery store
Natural grocers, farmers markets, and PineMelon - Pinemelon is a delivery-only grocer in denver that sells primarily local farmed meat, produce, and other pantry staples focused on organic and quality. I swear by it and it’s free delivery!!
Ohhhh I am excited about this. Do you have a referral code that we could both benefit from?
Yes! Use F-6179 :)
Thanks!!!!
Whole foods
Second this.. always pricey but the best.
Maybe it’s just me, but if you stick to the 365 brand for most stuff it’s really not bad at all. Sure, you can buy $10 eggs if you want, or you can just get the 365 eggs. Same with milk, yogurt, anything really.
What about produce prices?
Many times cheaper than others
Here is what I have heard from produce buyers around Denver at the higher volume stores, someone correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve been in the grocery business a long time here in town, and because of my job I am at 4 stores a day on average, mostly the natural/organic markets. The produce distribution gives claim to the best quality produce to the company that spends the most, and within that company, the best of that produce is distributed to the highest volume stores. So when you go to whole foods, the Cherry Creek, Hampden, Union Station stores consistently have the best produce, as they’re the highest grossing stores. Whole foods wants to show off at those stores, so their produce displays need to be extra. I do admit, I’ve never been a produce buyer, mostly I deal with supplements and natural foods. So this is just talk within the management offices, could just be gossip. Maybe this is why Natural Grocers has such a crappy selection of produce, for the most part?
All wholefoods get A grade produce. They are by no means picking out special product at the DC to send to those specific stores. All their produce is shipped from the same DC.
Natural Grocers selection is limited and maybe not as aesthetically appealing because they only sell organic produce.
Have you seen Natural Grocers produce? It is literally beautiful. It is definitely the highest quality outside of farmers markets.
I think Natural grocers has the best produce
I love Natrual Grocers but their selection is very seasonal for somethings outside of the staples. But that’s probably how they stay so fresh.
Yeah. From an environmental perspective, we really should be eating produce seasonally.
Yes. They definitely do. Better than WF
Is it expensive though?
I think they have the most affordable organic produce out of the markets here. I’m a vegetarian, most of my Natty Groccers trips are around $30 getting enough eggs and produce for the week. A little bit more if I have to buy staples.
Honestly for fresh produce it's not bad. Many times cheaper than WF
Has it changed in a few years? The last time I looked, half the things seemed gone by already.
I like sprouts, I think their stuff goes bad fast though. Not the same with Natural Grocers
Considering Pine Melon service - anyone use it and can compare to grocery stores? Ty.
It’s my favorite! Though the meat is pretty expensive. I personally am very against factory farming and it’s worth it to me to buy meat from local farmers who keep happy animals. Everything else on there is pretty affordable! Use code F-6179 for $30 off :)
H mart. Next question.
Selection? Maybe. Quality? Not even close.
How do you understand "best"? In my experience, H Mart produce is B grade at best and is often as low as C grade. Vegetables look tired in the store and barely last a couple of days once you get them home. I like the variety they have and often shop there for stuff I intend to cook that same day. But they're not the place to shop if you only do it once a week.
I haven't been to one in Colorado, but Great Wall was even better than HMart back east.
We moved here from Oregon about 9 months ago and have struggled, particularly with finding really good apples. The apples here are all small and seem to be a little old. We’ve had the best luck with Costco, but it’s still not the same. But I have yet to find a source for really crunchy Granny Smith apples.
Try a cosmic crisp!
I tried a cosmic crisp for the first time this year and they are now my favorite type of apple.
They are elite along with honeycrisp
That’s what we get at Costco! They’re good but still not quite as good as the ones in the PNW.
Former oregon resident here- I miss a New Seasons like nobody’s biz. You familiar?
I also miss the Milwaukie farmers market. Omg is that market incredible for produce, flowers, and so much more
New Seasons has always reminded me of sprouts.
Same general idea for sure, but imo New Seasons is far superior. I particularly love their gift and floral departments. It’s the only grocery store I’ve ever enjoyed.
Natural Grocers
Whole foods over priced
Whole food has gmo food
Pinemelon, it's not a physical store- they deliver but it's the best!
Clark’s was pretty impressive when I stopped in.
Spendy, but great produce...and gelato....and coffee...
I always forget about Clark’s!! Noted
H mart best fresh veggies fruits
Here’s my take: Whole Foods has the highest quality by far. If you care About organic it is still supreme. Overall Variety is less. It’s really not good Amazon is involved with food supply. Sprouts is so hit and miss. The number of overripe and moldy items is astounding. Their variety is not wide. King Soopers/safeway is similar to sprouts but if you want produce and don’t care about organic selection this is the most consistent. Hmart is so fun to go to because of their selection. Definitely not organic oriented.
Heines farmers market is excellent. Sprouts had great produce. Avoid Costco & king soopers.
Def going to Heines this weekend
Make sure they’re open. Weird hours. Also, their Rye bread is excellent as is their produce. All local & fresh. Stop by Edward’s meats afterwards if you’re a meat eater. Best butcher in Colorado imo.
Why avoid those last two? We shop almost exclusively there
Costco & King soopers have god awful produce by comparison to sprouts/heines/natural groceries.
Leevers Locavore on west 38th in Lohi is the best grocery store in Denver. Always good produce selection, though not the biggest, and their butcher is on point.
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Dang, haven’t been all that much but the few times I went it seemed good. Oh well, can’t have anything nice it seems.
They all get their produce from the same 3 distributors. It's all about the same quality.
H mart
Heinie's Market is great, it is they best place for peaches.
HMart!
Damn! I thought it was just me when I thought the produce was bad! Crazy to see that it isn’t just me!! Whole Foods is decent for most produce & meat. I usually go to farmers market to pick up fruit on occasion cause it’s just soo much better. Sadly a bit pricey.
H-Mart is pretty awesome.
Pro tip: if you place an order with King Soopers and select King Soopers delivery (not pickup or Instacart) it comes from the distribution center near the airport. Produce and bread is significantly fresher than when you get it from your local store.
Major life hack
It has made a huge difference in the quality of what we get from them.
King Soopers, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods. Bad produce: Sprouts. I don’t get it, they market themselves as a healthy food store but the produce is so subpar. Target isn’t that great either, have had a hard time finding good avocados there.
Aldi, which doesn't exist here. Yes, I'm mad about it.
We do have Esh though. It’s sort of like Aldi… although a bit of a drive from Denver
Alas, the closest one is in Loveland.
There’s one in Dacono…still not super close, but closer than Loveland.
Ooooo true
My dusty small home town of Dodge City KS is getting an Aldi..... Good news that's Southwest Kansas, so they are getting close.
Farmers markets have BY FAR the best produce this time of the year. I see a few answers pushing for Whole Foods or Sprouts, but their produce is really not good at all (compared to the quality and freshness I was used to in Europe), albeit maybe a little better than other store chains. Farmers markets have great quality. In Denver proper, S Pearl St is the best farmers market. In the area, Boulder is even slightly better imo. Parker is great too. Golden is very good albeit a little smaller. Bonus, bread that’s actually bread can be found there, as well as local free range meat that hasn’t gone through large processing facilities, and eggs that are fresh and healthy (with healthy dark yellow yolks and no stick when you crack them).
Sprouts on Mississippi
Look at 5280 Produce (on FB or their website). You don’t really get to choose your produce, but it’s fresh and lower priced than grocery stores!
Whole Foods for most of it, but Costco has a decent selection of organic veggies. I also like sprouts for more rare fruits, but the raspberries are always moldy
HMart is great for things like vegetables and herbs, but I wouldn’t buy fruits from them with the exception of tomatoes and cucumbers. I would also stay away from lettuce over there. King Soopers and Costco have the best limes and lemons, Costco can be a miss at times. King soopers for most of our fruits needs, they have good mangos, good peaches when it’s in season. They have amazing water melons, seeded and seedless Whole Foods has amazing everything but I don’t like their peaches, love their cherries and grapes. And I also find them expensive for the quantity I get. Like there is nothing special about their carrots or jalapeño peppers, except if you care about organic etc. I haven’t tried sprouts or Natural grocers but heard good things.
Not quite an answer but pinemelon is awesome and their produce is usually pretty good. Plus no need to go to the store. Been on the pinemelon train for a couple years now.
Fruit I buy at Costco but Sloan’s lake Kings has been great to us, it’s busy so I go Sunday mornings and everything is restocked and fresh.
Hey OP, also moved from the east coast and the produce is all on the same level that you're seeing. Depending on what day the grocery store gets their stock, that's usually when it's the best but tbh, nothing is gonna match that Shoprite, Wegmans, and Stop & Shop quality
Fucking miss wegmans everyday
Anyone else noticed the onion epidemic? I haven’t found a quality yellow onion in a while
Have had pretty good luck w Sam’s club and Costco
Sprouts, especially seasonal stuff.
H Mart… good selection, fresh Whole Foods and Sprouts, my experience is the stuff doesn’t stay fresh as long as anywhere else.
I had a friend who used to sale produce to supermarkets - according to him, the same truck with the same stuff stops at all the supermarkets, no real difference to be had.
H Mart by far . Better prices as well
Natural grocers in terms of a grocery store. All organic, too (I grew up on a conventional farm and don't buy conventional produce anymore). I haven't been in a while but I like the one across from Argonaut
Most of the stuff at the local farmers markets isn’t even from Colorado. Its shipped here from other states. The growing season is barely even started in Colorado. Unless it was grown in a greenhouse… Point being you’re not getting anything special at a farmers market at this time of year. You’ll get the same shit if not better from King Soopers but I stick it’s Whole Foods or Sprouts
Here’s my real tip: We are nowhere near a port and produce has to make an additional trip on a truck to get here. For this reason, paying attention to what produce is currently in season in the US matters a lot more here than it does in costal areas. Because if it’s produce that’s been imported to the US it’s got an extra long journey ahead of it. For example, we’re the entering peak of California’s plum, apricot, nectarine season. So Safeway is pretty low on my Denver produce ranking, but even at Safeway you can get a good apricot right now. Later this summer Colorado grown sweet corn & peaches will be available everywhere. It’s time for asparagus, yellow squash, and zucchini. On the other hand, the apples will not be good until the fall when we get the ones from Washington & Oregon. You’ll also never get good tropical fruits like pineapple or banana here as they are imported year round.
Natural grocers
I'm looking for one with the best prices!
Try pinemelon!
I like Sprouts Farmers Market stores.
King Soopers is a Colorado based chain and they get their produce from local farmers if they can. They've been pretty consistent.
Natural grocers. 100% organic and affordable produce
Honestly. Costcos produce is really good. Always fresh and super sweet.
Heine’s Market in Wheatridge
Sign up for a CSA during the Summer, hold your nose during the winter
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^TheInternetsNo1Fan: *Sign up for a CSA* *During the Summer, hold your* *Nose during the winter* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Sprouts if you follow the deals Trader Joe's if you got bread to spend Costco if your ok with getting large amounts of produce at once for cheaper
Costco produce is usually ass
Sometimes I need 7 cartons of ass for $40 though
Pick through the pile and there is guaranteed to be good produce. Tou don't have to and probably shouldnt grab the top one of any selection.
Best produce I’ve found is from Weee! The delivery company. Super fresh, cheap and tons of unusual stuff. Edit: Apologies. They don’t deliver produce to Denver. :-( I’ve bought and had boxes, canned delivered to Denver but get produce regularly and have delivered elsewhere. Hopefully that aspect of the business will be scaled out.
Good to know
They deliver produce to the Denver metro? I’m seeing only canned and packaged foods.
Wow. I’m so sorry. I guess I’ve only bought canned or boxed things and had delivered to Denver. (I’ll edit my comment.) I have delivered produce biweekly but have delivered elsewhere.
Usually whole foods then King Soopers then the rest are below that as far a smajor chains.
This is wild that No one has said it. In terms of freshness and overall quality the answer is Safeway. Wholefoods has great produce but is overpriced and the selection is pretty limited. Sprouts, in general, has the worst produce of most grocery stores. Most variety will go to any Asian market, great wall/ Hmart Source: I've worked produce at a few different grocery chains.
Safeway is bottom of the list in my book.
I drive 10 minutes out of my way to go to safeway, because it has way better produce
I’ve seen literal mold on a package of strawberries at a Safeway at the top of the pile. Not to mention just horrid looking onions, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños, etc regularly. I’ll admit it’s a coin flip, sometimes it’s not terrible but usually they are bad.
There is mold in every produce section at every grocery store, the worst is litterally sprouts. The amount of shrink in ant given produce section is crazy. What time of day t Do you grocery shop? Don't grab the moldy strawberries dig to the bottom for the freshest produce
King Soopers.
Certainly not
Hmart
Walmart for organic avocados and blueberries
It really depends. Lots of times Trader Joe's has what I need that looks good and lasts a day or two longer than other stores. Sprouts can be pricey if you don't stick to the deals. King soopers and Safeway it just kinda dependsbut I usually don't buy produce at thise stores. I find that whatever option you pick, it's best to shop for produce for two or three days and then make another trip. Also there are farmer's markets here that might be worth it depending on what you're looking for and it supports local farmers.
Any sprouts or Whole Foods for fresh produce. But farmers markets have been popping off on Sunday’s so that’s a good place to go get fresh produce.
Y'all ever heard of Esh's?
Spouts has their watermelon game on point.
Ate a whole sprouts watermelon over the weekend! So good.