Fairless Hills Store Grows Produce Right In Fallsington

Looking at the labels and the quality of the vegetables and fruits at the Fairless Hills Produce Center is the first sign something is different.

Upon closer inspection, the difference is clear – the locally-owned small business features affordable fresh breads, fruits and vegetables, much of it grown locally and as close as Fallsington.

Matt Taylor, who has owned and operated Fairless Hills Produce Center at 636 Lincoln Highway (across from the Dunkin Donuts) since 2010, said a point of pride for him is that some of the produce is grown just a minute away from the store.

A visit to the plots of land where Matt and his friend Chip Taylor, who are not related but share a common last name, grow produce gives a better perspective on the care that goes into growing the various vegetables sold in the store.

Aside from fresh kale, richly-colored eggplant and 40 varieties of tomatoes, the pair is working on growing special varieties of hot peppers, some that can only be found at Fairless Hills Produce Center. Matt and Chip currently have 80 types of hot peppers, including the extremely rare piquillo pepper that is usually only found in Spain, growing and being readied for sale at Fairless Hills Produce Center.

The two men took time to explain how they do not use pesticides of any kind, harvest their own crops, trade and grow seeds that produce the perfect vegetable for customers. In addition, the two often change out the soil to make sure the vegetables are healthy.

“It’s really important to have good soil,” Chip said. “If the soil is nutritious and you take care of the plants, you won’t need to use pesticides.”

The suburban farm will continue to produce tomatoes for sale at Fairless Hills Produce Center until the first frost along with potatoes and kale into the colder months. Once the winter ends, Matt and Chip will be back out tending to their land and growing the freshest produce for Fairless Hills Produce Center

“We’re growing here not for the sake of growing but to provide the freshest produce for customers,” Matt said.

A taste of an amana heirloom tomato picked fresh from the Fallsington farming operation was sweet and full of flavor that was different than any other tomato you can buy in a grocery store. The amana is just one of many variety of Fallsington-grown tomatoes featured at Fairless Hills Produce Center.

Matt said growing some of the produce for his 2,400-square-foot store and dealing directly with Bucks County and New Jersey farmers keeps overhead – and prices for customers – down. He also said those factors allow his shop to have a large variety of goods.

“Every week we change what we have here,” Matt said. “I try to find things that are unique and fresh.”

“We not only buy our produce from local farms, but we grow our own locally,” he said. “If we don’t grow it, I try to get as much local produce as you can get.”

Matt doesn’t just order from a distributor and put produce on the shelves, he often travels to regional farms to meet with the farmers and check out the produce before making a decision on whether to provide it to his customers.

“I go out to where the produce is grown and we have relationships with the farmers, we get to know them,” he said.

The care and customer service at the Fairless Hills Produce Center is clear when you visit the store. Matt took time on a recent afternoon to answer specific questions from customers and explained to them why one variety of the fresh Fallsington-grown tomatoes were lighter in color (a higher sugar content.)

“I believe in quality produce and that’s what we have at Fairless Hills Produce Center,” Matt said. “We work to put high quality fresh and local products on the shelves for our customers at an affordable price.”

215-428-2420 | 636 Lincoln HwyFairless Hills, PA 19030 | Visit Fairless Hills Produce Center Website | ‘Like’ Fairless Hills Produce Center on Facebook