I paid my dollars and there I was on Tuesday morning at gate 6 of the market at 5.45am! 15 disparate souls all rugged up (being a chilly Melbourne summer morning). We put on our fluoro safety vests and Jan (the tour operater) gave us the OHS chat, keep limbs inside the vehicle, don't get out of the vehicle, etc. We then climbed aboard the little tourist train. As we trundled through the market there were massive numbers of forklifts and motorbike-kind of vehicles with trailers scooting around the place and they get VERY close to our little train. Smaller stalls are in the middle of the sheds, where smaller farmers sell their produce. The bigger farmers and producers, have the primo stalls on the edge that have more room and access available to large trucks outside. Buyers for independent supermarkets, restaurants and most of the fruit and veg retailers including the main markets around town get their produce from this market.
We then headed off to the Flower Market which is part of the set up and in an adjacent shed. There were quite a few sellers, but the shed wasn't packed being so soon after the Christmas/New Year break. Jan took us to a cafe inside the flower shed and we had our coffees (included in the tour cost) and some muffins she handed around. Next to the shed was a place selling vases, tissue paper, boxes, oasis and all the fixings used by retail florists.
The tour was very interesting to see what goes on while most of us are sleeping. Around midnight, many of the market businesses open up and trucks arrive during the night from farms with produce. People from your fruit and veg shop arrive in the middle of the morning (ie 4amish) and buy stock for their shops.
The market will be moving to Epping in 2012 or 2013. The current tour operater will not be moving to the new site. So if you are a food/info junkie, the tour is definitely worth doing to find out what goes on behind the scenes.
The Melbourne Wholesale Fsh Market is on the city side of the fruit and vegetable market. It is a separate entity and it is scheduled to move to Brooklyn.
The photo is pretty simple but it was the best I could do in my sleep deprived state!
Oh my goodness, I have been wanting to do this for SO long. Only problem is, everyone I say to, "Hey, how about we go on the wholesale F&V market tour?" gives me this raised-eyebrow look and no more is said of it!! I am in an organic F&V co-op that recently started up and so wanted to be one of the buyers who gets to go to the market (not possible with the kids unfortunately). One day I will make it there before it moves!
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