John Vena Inc.

Whether it's made with blush-kissed pink radicchio, buttery yellow castelfranco, or vivid purple treviso - this salad is sure to leave hearts swooning on Valentine's Day!

Are you ready for Super Bowl sales? Avocados are the #1 produce item for Super Bowl weekend, and we've got truckloads of gorgeous Mexican Hass from our partners WestPakAvocado to support. Our ripening team led by Joe (an expert with decades in the business) ensures our wholesale customers always have access to perfectly pre-conditioned fruit. Interested in ripening your own fruit? Our ripening team also provides best-in-class contract ripening services from our on-site facility.

The pepino melon is a fall and winter fruit grown in South America. Native to the Andes region, this eggplant and tomato relative is mildly sweet and used as a fruit. It’s flavor is somewhere between a melon and a cucumber with a hint of honey. It is believed to have been an important part of the pre-Colombian Incan diet; many ancient pots and vessels shaped like pepino melon have been unearthed in the highlands of Peru and Chile! The fruit is ripe when it gives to a gentle s...queeze and the skin is a vivid yellow (as opposed to whitish). If it’s wrinkly and the flesh is deep orange, it has likely overripened and will be mealy. The flesh can be scooped out from the skin (which is not typically eaten) and served with charcuterie, over yogurt, with fruit salads, etc. - or gently cooked in jams, jellies, or sauces. Do you have any favorite uses for pepino melon?

This chunky, vibrant Chipotle Mango Guacamole from Starr Restaurants Chef Steve Menter is top of our list for Super Bowl Sunday. The addition of shallot brings a hint of garlicky aromatics to this rich, tangy, sweet-and-smoky dip!

Super Bowl Sunday celebrations will be smaller this year, but you know what that means? More guacamole for you! We are looking forward to yet another successful Super Bowl season with beautiful fruit from our partners at West Pak Avocado. #avocado #specialtyproduce #phillyfood #njfoodie

One of our favorite fall fruits is rolling in from California! This variety is called "Early Wonderful". Did you know that pomegranates are native to Persia (the area centering on modern day Iran and stretching from Turkey to Northern India)? They have been cultivated there since ancient times, and were only introduced to California in the 1700s!

When most of the world outside the US says sweet potato, this is what they are referring to. Boniato is a type of sweet potato with purple skin and white flesh. Even the emoji for sweet potato is a boniato-type, not orange-flesh: ! The cultivar packed in the sack is the one preferred in the Latino community (often also called camote or batata). The one in the box is known as Japanese sweet potato or satsuma-imo and is preferred for most Asian cuisines. Both have purple-r...ed skin and white flesh that is drier, fluffier, less sweet, and much nuttier (think chestnut ) than the orange-flesh sweet potatoes common the US. Delicious! #sweetpotato #inseasonnow #fallfood #producebuyer #wholesaleproduce #produce101 #knowyourfood

Hass aren’t the only game in town! Check out these lovely green skin avocados (sometimes also called smooth skin or West Indian typeavocados). Dominican avocados are coming into season and we’ve still got a bit of time left for Florida avocados. What exactly does Florida or Dominican mean? Well, that is where they were grown, but it’s not the variety. There are actually many cultivars sold under the generic names Florida and Dominican, including Semil 34, Pope...noe, Choquette, Monroe, Simmonds, and more. By having a range of cultivars that ripen at different times, growers can extend the season as long as possible. Cool, right? All green skin avocados are lower in calories and fat than a hass, and have a grassier flavor with a lighter texture that’s less buttery and thick. They’re not great for guacamole’s, but they’re awesome for slicing and dicing! #avocados #knowyourfood #avocado #floridaavocado #produce101 #producebuyer #wholesaleproduce #phillyfood #brooklynfood #njfoodie #baltimorefood #cheflife #inseasonnow

We couldn't be more thrilled to offer Babé Farms' beautiful products to foodservice distributors and retailers here in the Mid-Atlantic. Get to know this amazing family farm:

Now that's a LOT of winter squash! Check out this great footage from our grower D.R. Walcher Farms in North Fairfield Ohio.

We could not be more excited to have domestic citrus back in the mix! The first Florida pummelos of the season are large, in charge, and in stock now. The variety grown in Florida is large and greenish-yellow with gorgeous salmon-colored flesh. It's extra sweet and juicy! Check out our website for more info: https://www.johnvenaproduce.com/product/pummelo/

Ever put down the fresh pearl onions in favor of frozen to avoid the hassle of peeling? Think again with this quick and simple peeling tip from L.A. Times Food! After you enjoy the superior flavor and texture of fresh pearl onions, you'll never go back to frozen again!

Seasonal winter squash is finally here! We’ve got a full slate of beautiful cooking and decorative squash, pumpkin, and gourds - with more on the way next week. We’re partial to Hubbard for its exceptional flesh for baking, but every variety has its own special qualities. Any varieties that you’re just pie-ing to get your hands on this fall? #squash #wintersquash #pie #ingredients #vegetables #inseasonnow #produce101 #producebuyer #wholesaleproduce #phillyfood #njfoodie #baltimorefood #brooklynfood

It’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and we want to show some love to our amazing professional drivers Meet B.O.B., Andriy, and Roman. These wonderful people have been getting our produce from point A to B without interruption during the pandemic They each bring their best to the driver’s seat every day to keep our customers stocked on time and in full. We totally appreciate you, BOB, Andriy, and Roman! Want to join the team? We’re always on the lookout for people who love making customers happy! Visit our website for more info on careers at JVI: https://www.johnvenaproduce.com/careers/ #wholesaleproduce #phillyfood #phillyjobs

How are you celebrating the second night of the Jewish New Year next week? Dragon fruit? Rambutan? Cherimoya? Starfruit? Persimmon? The choices here at JVI are endless!

Have you ever eaten a mangosteen? This exceptional fruit has an ethereal, melt-in-your-mouth texture and a peachy, lychee-like flavor that beckons for binging! Available this week - but this Queen if Fruits only appears for short bursts, so it won’t be here for long.

We will be CLOSED on Sunday in honor of Labor Day. We close on Friday 9/4 at 12 PM for cash sales and 2 PM for loading. We will re-open on Monday 9/7 at 8 AM. See you then!

Local sweet onions on the grill this weekend? We think so! We love these colossal PA grown Simply Sweet onions.