Published July 2021

There’s something about summer that makes us crave fresh, crisp produce. We’ve always been committed to sourcing the best quality products we can find across every Sunterra Market department, but 12 years ago, we saw an opportunity to take it further with our Fresh Pick program.

“It’s the simple idea of going back to the very basic concept of seasonality in agriculture: specific products from specific areas in Canada, or the world, are available in abundance during specific times of the year,” says José Lomeli, VP Operations & Purchasing at Sunterra Market.  This seasonal approach brings great advantages to consumers — more product, top-tier quality and better cost. “We want our customers to learn about the amazing stories behind every product and understand all the hard work and commitment that the growers put into what they produce, which allows us to enjoy their products.”

Our team’s passion for finding the best food makes our sourcing unique, and we’ve cultivated strong relationships within the local produce industry. When it comes to the Fresh Pick program, “fresh” is the name of the game. Rather than take valuable days of freshness away from customers with packaging and distribution logistics, we work tirelessly to select only the finest quality products and have them delivered to our markets in a matter of hours.

Enter Jason Wiebe. As the owner of Access Orchards and Chongo’s Market in Calgary, Alberta, Jason has helped us source the best local produce for over a decade. He travels to B.C. weekly during the produce season to inspect the fruits and veggies while still hanging from trees or planted in fields and selects only the best available for Sunterra. This kind of passion and commitment to quality allows us to provide the sweetest fruits and crispest veggies for your table. They’re also the best tasting, in our professional opinion, and offer the highest value to our customers. Summer kicks off with the arrival of B.C. cherries in July and continues with B.C. berries in August, B.C. nectarines and peaches in September, and new harvest B.C. apples in October. 

“From conversations we’ve had with our growers, we know there is nothing more rewarding to them than having Sunterra customers eat their product and enjoy it at its absolute best,” says José. “We do not have the size some of the big players do in the grocery industry, but we are able to work with really unique growers. These loyal relationships give us access to product that are sometimes only available to the export market, so Sunterra customers really do get the best of what is grown.”

What is the most popular local product offered in our Fresh Pick program? “There’s no other produce item that gets us more excited than B.C. cherries,” says José. We source our two-bite cherries to provide customers with more value for every pound of fruit. After all, who doesn’t want more cherry in every bite?

Every July, our talented chefs and bakers are inspired to create offerings with the incomparable flavour of B.C. cherries at their best. Whether it’s our cherry turnovers or the cherry barbeque sauce we use in our kitchens, we know customers have come to appreciate our love of cherries. José encourages everyone to explore our B.C. cherries throughout the month of July. “You’ll have to wait another year to experience this quality of cherry, so be sure to take a bite (or two) this month.”