Ohioans Swear This Family-Run Grocery Chain Is The Best Place To Buy Quality Produce

While shopping at a local farmers market for produce on the weekends may be your preferred way to buy, it's not always a reliable means to gather what you need. So, maybe you tell yourself that you have no other option than to shop at that big-name grocery store and purchase baby carrots that'll be slimy in a week and strawberries that'll go moldy after a day. Ohioans know that there's a better, third option to the dilemma, and they've been hounding fellow shoppers about how Heinen's has consistently had the best quality produce for years.

Although labeled as a normal grocery chain in the Midwest, Heinen's specializes in high-quality produce, dry goods, and meats, in particular. "Heinen's has the best meat and produce in town," said one Redditor. Another shopper in the same Reddit chain pointed out, "You won't find better produce and meat in my county outside a farmers market." Further proving that point, we even ranked Heinen's as one of the five grocery stores with the best selection of produce. Customers regularly praise the chain's selection of fruits and vegetables in terms of variety and quality, with one user on Reddit saying it "is the only produce that lasts longer than a week for me." While some report that Heinen's prices can be higher than grocers like Aldi or Trader Joe's, this Reddit user said "Heinen's is not as expensive as I thought, has really good produce, and as a result will most likely become my new produce store."

Heinen's top-notch produce department is a result of the grocer's close relationships with the local and global farmers who supply said goods. According to Heinen's website, the company has "a strict set of quality standards for appearance, taste, texture, and ripeness" that's meant to give customers the best and freshest fruits and vegetables in the business. Beyond that, the grocer employs a dedicated Produce Inspector at its warehouses who checks that each item meets the preferred guidelines in terms of appearance, size, and flavor, among other qualities — parameters that you can also use to pick the best fresh fruit every time.

Joe Heinen began Heinen's Grocery Store in 1929 with a goal of only selling the best of the best, whether that be produce, meat, or other food items. The business is still family-run and focused on providing over 400 different kinds of high-quality produce (many of which are even USDA-certified organic) from leafy greens and fresh herbs to ripe apples and exotic dragonfruits. The chain has such good relations with its community that shoppers can even drink a local craft brew on tap while they shop. Heinen's may only operate 24 stores across Ohio and Illinois, but that doesn't stop the locals from insisting that this grocer is worth the drive.