West Coast Produce

They have a variety of fresh fruit you can buy for cheap.
Very friendly staff.
Hard to find a parking !
Also be careful of the big trucks

Victor’s good beginnings haven’t been augmented in three years so if it’s OK I’m going to take a little license.
In that this review isn’t precisely about West Coast Produce itself more about its line of work the history and how important businesses like this are to Oakland.
First off, have you ever even been over here? You have if you’ve gone to Ben’s or the Grill or Merchant’s and if you’ve stayed late enough at Merchant’s you’ve seen the produce market come alive because it’s like an owl all cool and night working.
Did you know that this is one of the oldest working fruit and vegetable markets in the country? Did you know that not too long ago before the merging of Southern Pacific and Union Pacific that freight trains ran down Third Street right through the market? Did you know that over the years the owners of the buildings and occasionally the City have contemplated relocating these businesses to an alternative space so as to free what’s perceived as valuable real estate (valuable as in more valuable for a purpose other than what’s there right now) for redevelopment?
You all need to come over here and trip the market light fantastic. Get your Merchant’s on after supper at the Square and stay long enough for the fruits and vegetables to start doing their thing. Then, and here’s the crazy part:
Start thinking Fulton Street Fish Market or Pike’s Place. Visualize the buildings brought up a little bit and the market slightly expanded. Picture specialty food shops and restaurant spaces specializing in whatever’s moving through the market on a given day. Structured such that the broadened uses wouldn’t conflict and with an emphasis on history and healthful living, the old produce market could become a different kind of thriving hub.
The abandonment of this space would be a crime against history. The «conversion» of this space to a residential tower would be the vanilla-​ization of something special.
All of you — come down. Add an interesting dimension to your understanding of this cool but sometimes misdirected city. Let me know if you think this little notion of celebration over replacement is a good one. Or if you think I’m just nuts.

These people are dishonest! They ripped us off. Stole avocados. I hope their karma catches up with them. :(

West Coast Produce is just one of dozens of wholesale vegetables/​fruit sellers in Oaktown in the area bordered by broadway, blue coffee, 3^rd & 5^th street known as the produce district. generally,
their operating hours are between 12 a.m. and 10 a.m.
stacks of fruits/​veggies are stacked on the sidewalk, on the street, or in the warehouse. one can inspect the items for sale. anyone can buy here but it’s mostly produce markets, restaurant owners, produce traders, and people who have an interest in food. some high end chefs probably come thru here too. (think alice waters).
since every «stall» has it’s own prices, it’s good to have a rough idea what market price a veggie/​fruit has at that time. if you think a price is right. them them you’ll buy that item.
find a salesperson, a guy with a ipad type device, tell them what you want and get a quote. when you find something you want tell them you want it, he’ll type in the order. you go to cash booth to pay, get a receipt, find a loader. he’ll pick the product and load the itmes for you.
repeat this process at various vendors until you find all the items you need.
parking is very bad. in this area. you need to avoid large commercial rigs trying to unload at the same time, guys driving folklifts, and other buyers fighting for a parking space.
the produce people are just nice professional people. oh, i don’t bother to bargain with them. just say sorry the price isn’t right and move on the next stall/​item.