Hunts Point Produce Market: A Buyer's Guide for NYC Food Businesses
A buyer's guide to the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx: sales hours, entry tolls, how to set up a credit account, how buying works, and how to get produce back to your kitchen.
The Hunts Point Produce Market is New York City’s main wholesale produce market, a 113-acre terminal in the South Bronx where restaurants, caterers, grocers, and distributors buy fruits and vegetables by the case. Sales run from Sunday at 9 p.m. to Friday at 3 p.m., entry costs a small toll per vehicle, and most regular buyers work with a few merchants they know.
This guide is for food businesses buying there: what to expect, how to set up an account, and how to get your order back to the kitchen while it’s still fresh. It isn’t a visitor’s guide.
Key takeaways
- Sales hours are Sunday 9 p.m. to Friday 3 p.m. Receiving hours vary by merchant, so call ahead.
- Every vehicle pays a toll to enter, from $2 for a car to $30 for a semi. Visitors pay $5 a day.
- Credit accounts need a financial review by the New York Produce Trade Association.
- Merchants sell by the case, and many now deliver as well as sell to walk-in buyers.
- Plan the trip back. Produce bought at 3 a.m. still has to reach your kitchen before prep starts.
What Is the Hunts Point Produce Market?
The market is a wholesale terminal on the Hunts Point peninsula in the South Bronx. It is part of a larger food distribution area that also includes meat and fish markets. A terminal market is a central wholesale market where growers and shippers send produce to be sold to local buyers.
A 2024 trade profile of the market, published as sponsored content, gives a sense of its scale:
- 113 acres with more than 1 million square feet in four main rows.
- About 60% of the city’s produce, worth roughly $2 billion (Produce Business).
- 600 to 800 tractor-trailer loads a day, from 49 states and 55 countries.
- About 2,500 green-grocers and 23,000 restaurants among its customers.
The market moved to the Bronx in 1967 after operating in Lower Manhattan. Most produce sold in the city’s restaurants and corner stores passes through it.
Hours and Location
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Sales hours | Sunday 9 p.m. to Friday 3 p.m. |
| Receiving | Set by each merchant; call them directly |
| GPS address | 772 Edgewater Road, Bronx, NY 10474 |
| Layout | Merchants spread across four platforms, Rows A to D |
The hours come from the market’s own Visit Us page, which also lists phone numbers for each merchant by row.
The busiest buying happens overnight. Restaurants and grocers buy before dawn so produce reaches their kitchens and shelves by morning. Some merchants now offer near round-the-clock service, so check each one’s hours before you go.
Entry Tolls and Market IDs
Everyone who enters pays at the toll plaza.
| Vehicle or pass | Fee |
|---|---|
| Visitor day pass (per person) | $5 |
| Car | $2 |
| Van or pickup truck | $5 |
| Straight truck | $10 |
| Semi (4 or 5 axle) | $30 |
| Market ID and car decal (yearly) | $120 |
The yearly Market ID is a pass for regular buyers that includes a car decal and access to the fast lane at the entrance. If you buy several nights a week, it saves time at the gate.
How to Buy at Hunts Point
Who Can Buy
The market is a wholesale market built for the trade. Merchants sell by the case or pallet, not by the pound. If you need a few lemons, a restaurant supplier or local grocer is a better fit. If you need cases of lemons every week, Hunts Point is where the price is.
Setting Up a Credit Account
You can pay at the time of sale, but regular buyers usually open credit accounts with the merchants they use most. A credit account is an arrangement where a merchant ships now and bills you later on agreed terms. The market says credit accounts require a financial review by the New York Produce Trade Association (Hunts Point Produce Market).
Before your first visit:
- Pick three or four merchants from the market’s directory that carry what you buy most.
- Call each one. Ask about their hours, minimums, payment terms, and whether they deliver.
- Ask about the credit application and what documents they need.
- Bring your business details: your business name, tax ID, and a contact for invoices. If you resell what you buy, such as a grocer reselling fruit, bring New York’s resale certificate, Form ST-120 (NYS Tax Department).
Walking the Market
New buyers should walk the rows before buying. Prices and quality vary by merchant and by night.
Check prices before you go. The USDA publishes daily reports of wholesale fruit and vegetable prices at the New York terminal market, by item, origin, size, and grade (USDA Market News). For example, a caterer pricing a large order can check what a case of lemons sold for that morning.
- Check the produce, not just the price. Open a case if the merchant allows it.
- Ask about origin and grade. The same tomato can come from several states in a week.
- Buy your staples from one or two merchants. Steady orders earn better service and first pick.
- Shop around for specialty items. Some merchants focus on herbs, tropical fruit, or organic produce.
Many merchants also take orders by phone and deliver. A 2024 trade report quoted merchants saying fewer customers walk the market than before, and more want produce delivered.
Who Buys at Hunts Point
The market serves almost every kind of food business in the region:
- Restaurants buying daily or several times a week.
- Caterers buying for large events, where the case price matters most.
- Grocers and bodegas restocking shelves.
- Distributors who resell to smaller accounts.
- Juice bars, meal prep companies, and bakeries buying fruit in bulk.
If you’re starting out, our guide on how to start a catering business in NYC covers the permits and kitchen you’ll need before buying wholesale.
Getting Produce Back to Your Kitchen
Buying is the easy part. The harder part is getting 40 cases of produce from the Bronx to your kitchen before prep starts.
Driving yourself. A van works for small orders. Expect tight docks, lots of forklift traffic, and early-morning loading. Build in time for the toll plaza and loading.
Merchant delivery. Many merchants deliver to regular accounts. Ask about minimums and delivery windows.
A courier or delivery service. Useful when you buy from several merchants, need same-morning delivery to more than one location, or don’t want a staff member driving to the Bronx at 3 a.m.
A few NYC rules to plan around:
- Congestion pricing. Trips into Manhattan below 60th Street pay the congestion toll. See our guide to congestion pricing for deliveries.
- Commercial parking. Unloading at your kitchen depends on loading zones and time limits. Our guide to commercial vehicle parking covers the rules.
- Temperature. Leafy greens, berries, and cut fruit need cold storage fast. The USDA advises keeping perishable food out of the range between 40°F and 140°F, where bacteria grow fastest (USDA FSIS). Use an insulated or refrigerated vehicle in summer.
Delivery from the Bronx to Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens kitchens is usually quick at night. The same trip takes much longer once the morning rush starts.
Hunts Point and the Flower District
Florists have a market of their own. Cut flowers come through the wholesalers on West 28th Street in Manhattan, not Hunts Point. Our NYC Flower District guide covers how buying works there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Hunts Point Produce Market hours?
Sales run from Sunday at 9 p.m. to Friday at 3 p.m. Receiving hours are set by each merchant, so call ahead.
Is the Hunts Point Produce Market open to the public?
Visitors can enter with a $5 day pass, but the market sells wholesale by the case. It’s built for restaurants, grocers, caterers, and distributors, not home shoppers.
How much does it cost to enter Hunts Point Market?
Tolls depend on the vehicle: $2 for a car, $5 for a van or pickup, $10 for a straight truck, and $30 for a semi. A yearly Market ID with a car decal costs $120.
How do I open an account at Hunts Point?
Contact the merchants you want to buy from. Credit accounts require a financial review by the New York Produce Trade Association. Bring your business name, tax ID, and resale certificate.
Do Hunts Point merchants deliver?
Many do, especially to regular accounts. Ask each merchant about minimums, delivery areas, and timing.
Where is the Hunts Point Produce Market?
It’s on the Hunts Point peninsula in the South Bronx. The GPS address is 772 Edgewater Road, Bronx, NY 10474.
The Bottom Line
Hunts Point is where NYC’s food businesses get produce at wholesale prices. Call merchants before your first visit, set up credit with the ones you’ll use most, and plan how the order gets back to your kitchen. If driving to the Bronx before dawn isn’t a good use of your team’s time, see how wholesale delivery in NYC and food and beverage delivery work, or price a route from the market to your kitchen.
