Learning the importance of being responsible is something I can thank parenthood for. I wasn’t always the responsible Eliza my sons turned me into; I had my share of poor decisions, and not taking things seriously. If I have to single out one example, it would be my dieting.

Up until I got pregnant with Ethan, my eldest, I didn’t pay much attention to what my diet consisted of. As my husband and I liked to travel often, we were used to eating out without caring much about what was on our daily menu. As long as our stomach wasn’t growling, it was all well.

Once we got the news that we were expecting, and there was diabetes/high cholesterol/high blood pressure/poor heart health scare from my family’s side, I dedicated myself to becoming the best version I could be – chef Eliza. For years, we’ve been avoiding eating out to avoid poor-quality ingredients full of toxins, and of course the higher price tag. As it happens, though, I’ve recently found the solution I’d like to share with you – eating at places that have local wholesale food suppliers.

Reasons to Eat Out at Places That Have a Supply of Local Food

Yes, it’s perfectly okay to ask a restaurant, café or diner where they get their food from – you have the right to know what you eat and spend your money on. Same as it’s okay for them not to reply, and for you to choose another place where you can get these answers from.

I was just lucky enough to come across Melbourne-based places that happen to get their fresh produce from trusted local names like family-owned and operated distributor Biviano Direct which also does home deliveries. You may ask “Why is this so important?” and there are several reasons instead of just one. Hospitality businesses that have their food delivered by local suppliers have:

Fresh and Quality Ingredients

Many people have the idea that restaurants, bakeries, cafés and the like have their ingredients sourced daily when in fact they do wholesale shopping for a certain period of time depending on their storage and customer demand needs. When this wholesale supply comes from local producers, freshness and quality are both guaranteed.

This is because there isn’t the delay that usually happens with non-regional wholesalers that move the produce from one warehouse to another until the final destination. When choosing their trusted distributor, businesses can choose based on the quickness of ordering and delivery to ensure they get top-grade products.

With quick and timely delivery from local regions, there’s less room for mistakes or poor quality as the food is kept in perfect temperature and hygiene conditions, so you won’t have to worry about any ingredient that ends up on your plate. Moreover, freshness also has an effect on the taste. When hospitality businesses have their local fruits, veggies, meat, dairy, and eggs delivered from Biviano Direct you can note the fullness of flavour.

Quality ingredients that are fresh are full of vitamins, minerals, and their sugars aren’t converted to starch. Even if you don’t know this, you can taste it. More to the point, fresh is healthier too, so yes, it’s possible to eat well outside!

A Range of Produce

One of the decisive factors when hospitality businesses choose their wholesalers is the range of products they offer. When they can come across a bigger amount of fresh produce all supplied by the same company, that translates to diversification. For us, as customers, this means more variety on the menus.

Instead of having one meat option, or a few vegetable and fruit options, we get many so people of different dietary requirements, tastes and whims can find what they need at the same place. This makes finding reliable suppliers like Biviano Direct that source versatile top-grade regional products imperative for everyone involved.

More Affordable Meals

If you want to know why some restaurants may be more expensive than others, one simple answer could be that they have more middlemen from the food source to their kitchen. This again leads us to the importance of having one trusted food distributor. Not having to deal with different suppliers for meat, dairy, fruits, veggies, or drinks results in less time and money wasted for the businesses, and consequently lesser prices for us the customers.

And if this isn’t convincing enough on how big of a difference the wholesale supplier makes, perhaps the fact that making the right decision can also turn out to be beneficial for the environment would grab more of your attention. Fewer trips across the country equal to lesser carbon footprint, so stocking up on what’s around doesn’t end up in that much of a gas waste and pollution. Also, choosing to source the ingredients close by helps support other businesses in the community which is crucial for stimulating the regional economy. What you buy local stays local!