The Produce Station

What The Produce Station does

The Produce Station is a privately held, independent specialty grocery retailer and caterer headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1986 by Rick Peshkin (now owned by Craig Schmidt), the business operates a flagship full-service store at 1629 South State Street plus a satellite seasonal Garden Center at 2105 W. Stadium Blvd. The company's core offer spans seven integrated retail departments: fresh produce sourced from over 100 Michigan growers, a self-serve salad bar and daily scratch-made soups, prepared sandwiches/entrees/desserts from an in-house kitchen, full-service catering, a curated cheese and provisions counter, a craft beer/cider and wine department, a specialty world-grocery section, and a garden center stocked from over 60 plant growers.

The Produce Station sells to three primary segments: walk-in individual consumers in Ann Arbor, corporate and institutional clients (notably the University of Michigan, for which it is a designated strategic vendor with daily campus-wide delivery), and special-event hosts (weddings, corporate lunches, private events). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the only published discounts are a 10% senior discount on Wednesdays and tiered discounts on mixed wine packs. Distribution is anchored by the two physical storefronts, complemented by catering delivery, online gift card sales through Square, and curbside beer pickup.

Revenue mechanics are entirely transactional one-time sales across grocery, prepared foods, catering, and garden categories. The company runs no proprietary software or platform business; its technology stack comprises a standard retail point-of-sale system, Square for online gift cards, and Untapped for beer inventory listings. No venture capital, private equity backing, or disclosed financials are present in the available source material.

Name

The Produce Station

Legal name

The Produce Station

Website

https://producestation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Produce Station is an independent Ann Arbor, Michigan specialty grocer and caterer founded in 1986, selling fresh produce sourced from 100+ local growers alongside prepared foods, craft beer and wine, artisan cheese, and garden plants, and serving individual consumers plus University of Michigan departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Grocery Retail

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (44523), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO), Organic Produce & Farm Market Retail (CRAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Fresh produce retail
• Specialty grocery store
• Event catering services
• Garden center plants
• Prepared foods kitchen

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: Retail sales of fresh produce sourced from over 100 Michigan and local growers. Core product category since founding in 1986.
2. Prepared Foods and Catering: In-house kitchen produces sandwiches, soups, entrees, salads, dressings, and sides from scratch. Catering services for events ranging from corporate lunches to weddings. Individual grab-and-go options and full catering menus available.
3. Beverage Sales: Sales of craft beer, cider, and wine. Beer and cider selections rotate seasonally featuring local Michigan breweries. Wine program managed by in-house wine buyer with value-focused selections and special orders.
4. Cheese and Provisions: Sales of artisan American cheeses (rotating monthly features), imported cheeses, and complementary provisions including charcuterie, crackers, olives, and preserves.
5. Garden Center: Sales of specialty perennials, premium annuals, succulents, herbs, vegetable starts, trees, shrubs, and garden supplies. Operates seasonally at two locations.
6. Bakery and Dairy: Fresh bread and pastries from Zingerman's Bakehouse, Bird Dog Baking, and Tasty Bakery. Dairy products including milk in bottles from Calder Dairy, imported butter, yogurt, hummus, and plant-based foods. Bulk section with nuts, dried fruit, and candy.
7. World Grocery: Specialty and hard-to-find ingredients, Michigan-made goods, European cookies and candy, imported foods, quality oils, vinegars, spices, and condiments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Produce Station operates a single-location specialty grocery market, in-house catering kitchen, and garden center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It retails fresh produce sourced from over 100 Michigan growers, scratch-made prepared foods (sandwiches, soups, entrees, salads, desserts), craft beer, cider and wine, artisan cheese, bakery items, dairy, bulk foods, and seasonal plants, while also providing full-service event catering for corporate, university, and private events.

Product overview

The Produce Station is a specialty grocery and prepared foods retailer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 1986. The business operates as a single-location independent grocery store offering a unified portfolio of integrated departments: Fresh Produce (core to the business identity, sourced from 100+ local/Michigan growers), Salad Bar with scratch-made soups and dressings, Prepared Foods (in-house kitchen preparing sandwiches, soups, entrees, desserts), full-service Catering (breakfast through wedding events), Garden Center (perennials, annuals, plants with satellite location), Cheese & Provisions, Beer & Cider, Wine (curated by expert buyer), Grocery (specialty and international foods), Bakery (local artisan breads), and Dairy & Bulk Foods. The company also serves as a strategic vendor for the University of Michigan. The business does not operate as a platform software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Produce
• Salad Bar
• Prepared Foods Kitchen-prepared sandwiches, soups, entrees, and desserts made fresh from scratch with all-natural ingredients, with a weekly rotating soup menu. Available in-store and as grab-and-go packaged options.
• Catering Services Full-service event catering covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, corporate events, picnics, holidays, and weddings, with an extensive menu including beverages, bakery, salads, deli items, boxed lunches, sandwiches, soups, appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts, plus individually packaged options. Orders placed via phone (734.663.7010) or email with minimum 1 week advance recommended.
• Garden Center Retail sales of specialty perennials, premium annuals, succulents, herbs, vegetable starts, trees, shrubs, and decorative pottery, sourced from over 60 plant and flower growers. Operates at the State Street location year-round and at the Stadium Blvd satellite location seasonally.
• Cheese & Provisions Retail sales of new American artisan cheeses and imported favorites, with rotating monthly cheese showcases, complemented by wine pairings, craft beer, artisan crackers, fruit preserves, olives, and charcuterie.
• Beer & Cider Curated craft beer and cider selection featuring regional Michigan breweries such as Wax Wings Brewing Co., Earthen Ales, Transient Artisan Ales, Arvon Brewing Co., Drafting Table Brewing Co., Eastern Market Brewing Co., Ferndale Project, and Farm Club. Available in-store and via curbside no-touch pickup.
• Wine Wine collection curated by Wine Buyer Hugo Ristow, featuring Michigan wines, global selections, and special order capabilities, with volume discounts of 10% off mixed 6-packs and 15% off mixed cases of 12+ bottles.
• Grocery (World Grocery) Specialty grocery assortment including Michigan-made goods, imported classics, specialty oils and vinegars, spices, charcuterie, handmade pasta, gourmet sauces, European chocolates, and international ingredients, featuring Madelaine's seasonal candies and Clancy's Fancy hot sauce.
• Bakery Fresh daily breads and pastries from local artisan bakers including Zingerman's Bakehouse, Bird Dog Baking (Ypsilanti, MI), and Tasty Bakery (Ann Arbor), plus seasonal cookies from The Cookie Lady.
• Dairy & Bulk Foods Dairy products including Calder Dairy milk in old-school bottles, imported butter, fresh pasta, yogurt, hummus, and plant-based foods, with a bulk section featuring premium nuts, dried fruit, candy from Marich Confectionery, and Knudsen's Caramels.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase in-store at the register or online via Square, with online orders shipped within two business days.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of MichigancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduce Station Catering is designated as a strategic vendor for the University of Michigan. Catering services and items from the store may be purchased using a P-Card through University catering. The company serves all departments and delivers anywhere needed on the U-M Ann Arbor campus daily.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Meijer: Michigan-founded regional supercenter that competes with Produce Station on fresh produce, prepared foods, garden center, beer, wine, and catering — particularly for Ann Arbor-area everyday grocery spend. Broad incumbent with overlapping departments though less curated/local-specialty focus.
• Trader Joe's: National specialty grocer with curated private-label assortment, specialty cheese, baked goods, and prepared foods. Draws from the same Ann Arbor household for specialty and grocery spend, though it does not operate an in-house catering kitchen or garden center.
• Whole Foods Market: National premium natural/organic grocer with strong emphasis on local sourcing, prepared foods, salad bar, craft beer, and specialty cheese. Overlaps in nearly every Produce Station category, particularly around local produce and prepared foods, though operates at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Plum Market: Ann Arbor-based specialty grocer that combines an in-house kitchen, prepared foods, salad bar, bakery, beer and wine, and a curated produce program in a destination-store format. Nearly identical customer demographic around the University of Michigan and overlapping prepared-foods strategy make it the closest head-to-head competitor in the same trade area.
• Dorothy Lane Market: Ohio-based independent specialty grocer with in-house kitchen, scratch prepared foods, an award-winning salad bar and soup program, full-service catering, garden center, craft beer, wine, and bakery — virtually all of Produce Station's categories. Closely analogous small-chain specialty destination-store model outside of Michigan.
• New Seasons Market: Community-focused specialty grocer offering fresh produce, scratch prepared foods, soup and salad bar, full-service catering, craft beer, wine, and cheese. Same destination-store specialty retail model as The Produce Station, with curated local-supplier programs analogous to the 100+ Michigan grower sourcing model.

Regional players

• Zingerman's: Ann Arbor-based food purveyor including Zingerman's Bakehouse, Deli, and Roadhouse that supplies baked goods to The Produce Station and competes for the same local foodie customer. Comparable specialty food positioning with strong local brand identity, though concentrated in bakery/deli rather than full grocery.
• Busch's Fresh Food Market: Michigan-based independent grocery chain operating ~17 stores across southeastern Michigan with full-service deli, prepared foods, bakery, beer, wine, and fresh produce. Comparable locally rooted specialty-grocery positioning targeting the same Michigan consumer and competing for similar catering and produce spend.
• Arbor Farms: Ann Arbor independent natural foods grocer where Produce Station's satellite Garden Center is co-located (Barnes Ace parking lot). Directly adjacent competitor for local natural-foods shoppers and provides the cross-parking foot-traffic relationship that augments Produce Station's customer base.
• Fresh Thyme Farmers Market: Midwest-focused natural/specialty grocer (operating across Michigan) emphasizing fresh produce, natural and organic products, salad bar, and prepared foods. Most directly comparable regional chain competitor for everyday fresh-and-specialty grocery baskets in Michigan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/theproducestation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-produce-station

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Produce Station