New England Produce Center

Our history and mission……………

Thirty years before the Revolutionary War, the Faneuil Hall was established to provide Boston area farmers a place to sell their fruits and vegetables. The Faneuil Hall market area, today, one of Boston’s most popular tourist attractions, served as a produce distribution center until 1968, when the New England Produce Center was built in Chelsea, MA.

The primary objective of the New England Produce Center is to supply the highest quality fresh fruits and vegetables; and agriculturally related items, to wholesalers, retailers and food service customers serving the more than eight million people located in an area bounded by Connecticut in the South, to the Canadian border in the North, and all the Maritime Provinces of Canada in the East, to Albany, New York in the West.

The New England Produce Center has another distinction; it is the largest privately owned terminal market in the country. Those terminals that are larger, are owned and operated by either the respective states or cities.  The privately owned characteristic of the market has created a deep tenant interest in every phase of the market operation, which blends into a close tenant/community relationship.   The organization of the Center is unique in the industry, comprised of an eleven member Board of Directors made up entirely of tenants, who elect the officers of the Center annually.

Served by CSX railroad, freight and trailer trucks deliver thousands of product loads each year.  To support this large scale operation, the New England Produce Center employs over one thousand people from local communities; and works closely with local officials supporting various initiatives, in and around Chelsea, MA.  A core element of the New England Produce Center’s mission is reflected in our commitment to making a positive impact on our community.

The facility consists of 128 store units, 24 feet wide by 100 feet long.  Truck loading platforms are situated at the front and rear of each unit and are 15 feet wide and completely covered.  Ceilings are 20 feet high, allowing for pallet racking and the entire warehouse area is free from pillars or supports of any kind permitting unrestrained use of the interior space.  Office space is provided in a mezzanine 16 feet wide, which extends along the interior of the building above the doors on the truck side.  The street between the two rows of buildings is 200 feet wide, allowing sufficient room for over the road trucks to back in at opposite sides.  Trucks delivering products to the Center are allowed entry upon arrival.  The buyers enter the Center at 5:00 a.m. Monday through Friday.

The success of the New England Produce Center is centered in the steadfast long term commitment we have to the New England area and its people as a whole.