I try to source locally as much as possible for my seven locations. To improve the quality of our produce and lower food costs, I found it pays to contract directly with a farmer for the season ahead. It’s likely you will pay a bit up front to help share the cost with the farmer, but weather aside, your volume is guaranteed, you can do better on pricing given the volume, and by getting deliveries direct from the farm each week, you guarantee that the produce is never sitting idle along the supply chain. You can't put a price on produce this fresh—your customers will notice the difference.