Wholesale Organic Foods

About Wholesale Organic Foods

Wholesale generally means that the company is selling directly to a grocery store or other organization rather than direct to the customer.

When it comes to wholesale organic foods, companies are looking for ways to get their foods to more customers. They sell items at a wholesale discount in bulk in order to attract more stores that want to sell their products.

When you shop at a grocery store or food co-op, the foods that you see on the shelves—and all the other items for sale, for that matter—most likely came to the store through some kind of wholesale agreement.

Some companies sell directly to the stores themselves. Others go through a wholesale company which markets and distributes products for different manufacturers.

Wholesale Foods for Individuals

The idea behind wholesale organic foods is that the customer gets a reduced price by buying in bulk. Such price reductions are not always available to individuals because the volume that must be purchased is so high.

Some wholesalers will sell directly to individuals, and sometimes the amount you have to buy is reduced to a reasonable amount. For other wholesalers, you might need to get together with some friends to form a buying club. You could also join a local co-op, which will allow you to buy items by the case at a discount.

Finding Wholesale Organic Food

The Internet makes it easier than ever to find wholesale organic foods, no matter what kind of food you are interested in. You can find everything from beef to carob chips.

If you're looking for a particular kind of wholesale organic food, your favorite search engine can be a big help. Just search for wholesale organic and whatever type of food you are looking. Add your location if you prefer to work with a local or regional wholesale.

Other good sources for wholesale organic foods include:

• Green People has a huge collection of links for organic manufacturers and distributors. Not all of them are wholesalers and not all sell direct to the public.
• American Health and Nutrition has a wholesale division that sells to stores and a consumer division that sells direct to individuals.
• Morningside Buying Club is an outfit in Tennessee that provides local delivery of natural and organic foods. They also have a catalog for people who live farther away.
• MacRae's Blue Book has a good collection of contact information for organic food wholesalers and retailers, all of which are in America.
• eSources has a guide to British wholesale organic food manufacturers.

Starting Your Own Buying Club

If you are interested in purchasing food or other products from a wholesaler who does not sell directly to the public or does not allow small orders, you might want to consider forming your own buying club.

You'll have to discuss with the wholesalers whether this is even possible, how large your minimum order would have to be and how items would be shipped. Once you have the logistics down, you can ask friends, family members and co-workers about their interest and post signs around the community.

It's best to keep the club as small as feasible in the beginning, because otherwise it will take a lot of time to manage. If people you don't know join up, they may order things and then never show up to pay for them. This leaves you stuck with the product and the bill.

Still, if you know enough people who are interested, this might be your best bet for getting wholesale organic foods into your household.