Sue & Cho's Produce

Sue & Cho's Produce is a produce market located at 10 S Summit Ave in Shillington, Pennsylvania. The business operates in the fresh food retail category, focusing on fruits and vegetables rather than the full grocery inventory found in a supermarket. Customers can reach the market by phone at +1 267-579-6667. As a small, independently run operation in a residential borough just outside Reading, it fits into a long tradition of neighborhood produce stands and market stalls that have served Berks County households for generations.

Markets of this kind occupy a specific niche in the local food economy. They buy in smaller volumes and turn inventory over quickly, which means the selection shifts with what is available and what is moving. Shoppers who visit regularly tend to learn the rhythm of the place: certain items appear when the regional harvest comes in, others arrive from wholesale sources during the colder months, and the mix on any given day reflects both season and supply.

Location and Setting

Shillington is a borough in Berks County, immediately southwest of the city of Reading. It covers a compact area of roughly half a square mile and has a population of a little over five thousand residents, which makes it one of the denser small boroughs in the county. The community is part of the Greater Reading metropolitan area and is served by the Governor Mifflin School District. Shillington is also noted in literary circles as the boyhood home of the novelist John Updike, who wrote about the town and the surrounding countryside in several of his works.

South Summit Avenue runs near the heart of the borough, a short distance from the Lancaster Avenue corridor (Pennsylvania Route 724), which is Shillington's primary commercial spine and carries traffic between Reading and points southwest toward Mohnton and Robesonia. The practical result for shoppers is that the market sits within easy reach of a dense residential neighborhood while remaining close to a main road. Many nearby residents can walk or make a very short drive, and the location is convenient for anyone already running errands in the borough.

The natural service area extends beyond Shillington itself. Residents of Kenhorst, Mohnton, Wyomissing, Sinking Spring, Reading's southwestern neighborhoods, and the Cumru Township area are all within a few miles. Berks County as a whole is heavily agricultural, with roughly a quarter million acres in farmland, so produce retailers in this region sit unusually close to their supply.

Products and Specialties

The core of the business is fresh fruit and vegetables. Produce markets in this format generally stock the staples that households buy weekly along with seasonal items that rotate through as they become available. A typical inventory at a market of this type includes:

• Everyday vegetables such as potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, peppers, cabbage, and lettuce
• Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and summer squash during the warm months
• Bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, melons, and citrus fruit
• Stone fruit including peaches, plums, and nectarines when in season
• Berries and cherries during their relatively short peak windows
• Herbs, greens, and cooking vegetables in bulk quantities
• Root vegetables, winter squash, and pumpkins in the autumn

Because inventory depends on what arrives, calling ahead is the most reliable way to confirm whether a specific item is in stock, particularly for shoppers looking for a case quantity or a fruit at the very beginning or end of its season.

The Berks County Growing Calendar

One of the advantages of buying produce in southeastern Pennsylvania is the length and variety of the local season. Asparagus and rhubarb come in during April and May. Strawberries follow in late May and early June, typically for only a few weeks. Sweet corn, green beans, and cucumbers build through July, and locally grown tomatoes and peaches usually hit their peak between late July and early September, which is when many area residents buy in volume for canning, freezing, and making sauce.

By September and October, the emphasis shifts to apples, pears, pumpkins, gourds, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and hard squash. Pennsylvania is consistently among the top apple producing states in the country, and a wide range of varieties moves through local markets in the fall. During winter, produce retailers rely more heavily on wholesale distribution from southern states and imports, which keeps citrus, bananas, avocados, and greenhouse tomatoes on the shelves through the off season.

Why Shoppers Use Independent Produce Markets

Small produce businesses compete with supermarkets on different terms. Rather than matching breadth of selection, they tend to concentrate on a narrower range of goods with faster turnover, which can mean shorter time between delivery and purchase. Pricing on high volume items is often competitive, especially when a particular crop is at peak supply. Shoppers also frequently cite the practical benefit of a quick visit: a focused store with a limited footprint takes far less time to shop than a full scale grocery run.

There is a social dimension as well. Neighborhood markets in boroughs like Shillington often function as familiar stops where staff recognize returning customers, answer questions about ripeness and preparation, and can advise on when a seasonal item is expected. That kind of direct exchange is part of what has kept independent produce retail viable in Pennsylvania even as national grocery chains expanded.

Practical Information

• Address: 10 S Summit Ave, Shillington, PA 19607
• Phone: +1 267-579-6667
• Business category: Produce market
• Location context: Central Shillington, close to the Lancaster Avenue (Route 724) corridor
• Nearby communities served: Reading, Kenhorst, Mohnton, Wyomissing, Sinking Spring, Cumru Township

Visitors are encouraged to call before making a trip to confirm current hours, since small produce operations commonly adjust their schedules with the season and with delivery days. A phone call is also the simplest way to ask about bulk or case pricing, special requests, and the availability of particular seasonal items.

Getting There

Shillington is accessible from Reading by way of Lancaster Avenue and from the broader region via U.S. Route 222 and Interstate 176, both of which connect to Route 724 and the borough's street grid. Parking in the neighborhood is typically on street, and the compact layout of the borough means the market is a short distance from most points within Shillington itself.