The Vegetable Man Produce — Local services in Bend

I just witnessed a very, very disappointing, discouraging & somewhat disgusting sight. After purchasing my strawberries at The Vegetable Man Produce stand at the corner of Highway 97 South & Meyer Rd, (next to the Dollar Tree mall across the highway from Fred Meyer), I was sitting in my friend's van waiting for him to back out. We were facing Meyer Rd looking directly at the dumpster. I watched who I am assuming is a manager or owner, (based on how he barked orders across the stand at his employee while I was at the counter), opened the dumpster & dumped nearly a full flat of citrus fruit that was still viable into the dumpster. If that wasn't bad enough, he jumped up into the dumpster & stomped up & down to turn edible fruit into mush. For the devil's advocate, I would say this "poor" business owner is trying to deter those who might be seeking to raid his dumpster & that he's just protecting his business. Well, I'd like to suggest to this business owner that he might consider donating the produce he's discarding that could feed someone who really needs fresh produce they rarely get because it's too expensive. To purposely destroy food for the sole purpose of keeping it out of the hands of the needy is selfish, self centered, greedy & lacking in human compassion. I find it interesting that this company makes money off of every piece of produce whether fresh or overly ripe & bruised, but will destroy viable fruit. What? If they can't make money off it then they throw it away & decimate it so no one can benefit from it??? By one government tally, about 60 million tons of produce worth about $160 billion dollars is wasted by retailers and consumers every year. I've been so poor that I had to rely on food banks. In the old days, produce was not usually a part of a food box so I would rely on canned fruits & vegetables & rarely enjoyed fresh produce. Today, most food pantries are a part of the Oregon Food Bank program that now provides the less fortunate with what should be a staple that everyone should have access to. I love my fruit stand strawberries. They're just like candy. I will not, however, be bringing my business & my precious dollars to The Vegetable Man Produce stands any more in the future. Please consider this post the next time you set out to buy produce from an independent stand & take your business to a company that doesn't blatantly contribute to the food waste crisis in America. Be about your community. ALL of...

Last year I left a 5 star review for what was our 3rd wonderful experience getting our Christmas tree with Jay. This year, though we couldn’t find Jay, getting our tree from The Vegetable Man felt like a tradition so we decided to purchase here again. Sadly, our tree died just after two weeks. It was difficult to take it down and we hoped whoever greeted us would be kind and understanding. We were treated exactly that way and so much more by the gentleman working in the lot at the T.J. Maxx parking lot this evening. He was patient, reassuring, and genuinely kind. We only wish we’d gotten his name. It is our hope that he sees this review and knows how grateful we are for helping turn our night around. Our new tree is beautiful and we are...

This review is for Jay with The Vegetable Man Produce Christmas Trees. This is the third year that we’ve bought a tree from Jay. Now he’s part of the tradition for us. We’re so grateful to have found him and his outstanding customer service. We miss him on the east side, but it’s a treat to work with him regardless. Thanks Jay for your kind heart and ability to remember your customers! You’ve made another Christmas tree buying experience exceptional. It’s because of you that we always get the bigger tree. :) We appreciate you and...