Our Suppliers

Northstar doesn't own orchards or farms. We're produce people. Our job is to find the best fruit the season has to offer, from growers and suppliers Rob has trusted for years, and build it into a gift.

"It really starts with the grower. When you have a trusted grower, you get consistently the best quality — and that's the key word, consistently."
— Rob Gregory

South Water Market, Chicago

Our fruit comes through Chicago's South Water Market, the city's wholesale produce market. Rob works with buyers there who shop for Northstar several times a week to his exact specifications: the sizes that sit right in a basket, and the grower brands he trusts.

The grower names Rob looks for

Rob buys by the name on the box. These are some of the finest growers in the country, and we're proud to tell you why:
- Stemilt — apples, cherries and summer soft fruit
- Ghee Whiz — apples
- Duckwall and Trout — pears
- Booth Ranchers and Sunkist — oranges

These growers have earned their names the same way Rob earned his customers: season after season of consistent quality. We buy their fruit through the market; they don't sponsor Northstar.

How Rob chooses

Brand is where Rob starts, not where he stops. Every piece still has to pass his hands and eyes:

• Weight first. A piece that feels heavy for its size is full of juice.
• Then color. A Cara Cara should have bright, shiny skin. A pear is judged by its color as it ripens, never by pressing it, which bruises the skin.
• Then size and condition. Pieces are sized to the basket, and anything bruised or banged up is set aside.

"You can buy low grade, mid grade, or the best of the best… Our motto is always buy the best of the best."
— Rob Gregory

Following the seasons

We don't force a season. What goes into a basket follows what's at its peak:

• Winter: citrus — Sumo tangerines, Cara Caras, navels and Minneolas
• Fall: apples, including organic Honeycrisp
• Spring and summer: soft fruit, like Georgia peaches and tree-ripe fruit from California

"It's all Mother Nature, depending on what we can get."
— Rob Gregory

Honeycrisp is our apple of choice whenever the season allows. When good Honeycrisp isn't available, we hand-select the best comparable variety.

Local partners

We're working on partnerships with other local family businesses. More to come.

Getting it to the door

Once a basket is built, UPS takes it the rest of the way. Rob has worked with UPS since the early days of Northstar because we can track every package and follow up if one runs late.