Obsessed with produce

The owners of these markets are as eclectic as the products they sell. Some are old-timers while others have scrapped their former careers to start their own businesses. Some have roots in the Mediterranean and others in Asia.

Many of the markets are full-on family-run businesses with sons, daughters, uncles and cousins pitching in to make the business survive.

The markets all have one big thing in common, however: the owners are obsessed with finding the tastiest, freshest and best-valued fruits and vegetables for their customers.

One of the newest produce markets to open in the area is the Burlingame Farmers’ Market on Broadway.

Opened in December, it is a family-run business that also operates a produce market in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset district.

The market is owned by the Ghishan family and managed by son Omar, who is just 20 years old and grew up in the business.

The store opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. and the young Ghishan is there almost all the time.

"Right now, I have nothing to do but worry about this place,” Ghishan said.

Ghishan went to college for a couple of years but decided to put his heart into the family business.

"I watched my dad growing up. I want to follow what he did and carry out the success even further,” Ghishan said.

Fruit and vegetables are the market’s main focus and Ghishan’s dad rises at 2:30 a.m. every day to search out the best deals at wholesalers in South San Francisco.

While the younger Ghishan has learned practically every aspect of running the business, he knows the quality of the fruits and vegetables are the most important because those are what his customers demand.

"Building up our clientele is most important and most rewarding,” Ghishan said.

Ghishan is willing to work the long hours now in hopes his sacrifice will pay off later.

He may realize someday, however, that the long days never end.

Johnson Woo has been in produce for more than 20 years, working in wholesale for most of his adult life. He and his family now own the Produce Stand which opened in downtown San Mateo in December 2008.

Woo has been working with the same sellers and suppliers for years and buys his produce fresh every day from wholesalers in San Francisco.

"We are here all the time,” Woo said. "I’m still realizing how all-consuming this business can be.”

His family too pitches in at the market, with a brother and sister-in-law working there during the week and wife and kids on the weekend.

For Woo, quality is key.

Fresh fruit must pass a "look test” before Woo samples it for taste and when the market runs out of a certain type of fruit he will only restock it if the new batch of fruit is of the same quality.

Smaller markets have better control over quality, he said.

Woo stocks specialty Asian vegetables that his discerning customers seek out such as multiple varieties of baby bok choy, gai choy and yu choy.

"The draw is freshness,” Woo said.

Up on Polhemus Drive in San Mateo, Mustafa Mutlu and his family own and operate Crystal Springs Produce, which has been open for about 18 months now.

Mutlu did not grow up in the business, however, he worked as a shuttle driver for 16 years before opening the produce market.

"This job’s harder,” Mutlu said about running the produce business.

His son-in-law works alongside him during the day and on weekends the market is filled with his grandkids.

Mutlu’s day typically starts at 5 a.m.

"I think people come here because we carry items that the big stores don’t,” he said. "Our customers are loyal, some I’ve seen repeatedly since day one, and they like the quality of our produce.”

Organic products are a big draw for Mutlu’s customers.

"We keep organic prices down. Our customers like to eat good food. They want to eat the right things,” he said. "People are looking for quality.”

Mutlu, too, tastes all the produce before he buys it from wholesalers in South San Francisco.

"If I like it, I buy it,” he said.

His customers appreciate the variety Mutlu offers.

"I give this place six stars,” said Vildan Apakay, a Burlingame resident who buys specialty grocery items at Crystal Springs Produce he cannot find elsewhere.

The San Mateo Produce Market on 25th Avenue in San Mateo is one of the newest in the area, having its grand opening March 19.

The market sells fresh fruit and vegetables, groceries and fresh cut meats in a sprawling space.

Close by, Luke’s Local runs a little commuter produce stand at the Hillsdale Caltrain station that opens only in the mornings and a few hours in the evening on Wednesdays.

It is run by Luke Chappel, Alex Beinfield and Jimmy Simpson. It opened in February 2010 and sells produce bought from a collective of farms in Yolo County’s Capay Valley.

While Chappel’s background is mostly in cooking, the 28 year old spent some time working on a farm, learning the ins and outs of growing and selling fresh fruits and vegetables.

Luke’s buys its produce from Capay Valley because the produce is grown on non-industrial farms, Beinfield said.

About 95 percent of Luke’s retail business comes from early-morning commuters ready to hop on the train or arriving in San Mateo for work, Beinfield said.

Luke’s also wholesales prepared meals it distributes to grocers in San Francisco and elsewhere made with the fresh produce from Capay Valley, said Beinfield who typically starts his day around 5 a.m.

"It is a labor of love,” Chappel said. "It is an every moment of the day job.”

Bill Silverfarb can be reached by email: silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.

Crystal Springs Produce is located at 770 Polhemus Drive in San Mateo. Check out its website at www.crystalspringsproduce.com.

Burlingame Farmers Market is located at 1236 Broadway in Burlingame.

The Produce Stand is located at 219 S. San Mateo Drive in San Mateo.

The San Mateo Produce Market is located 175 W. 25th Ave. in San Mateo.

Luke’s Local is located at 3333 El Camino Real at the Hillsdale Caltrain station. Check out its website at www.lukeslocal.com.