These days, going to the grocery store feels like a gut punch.
Looking at the final bill can make anyone鈥檚 stomach drop. And that feeling only gets worse when you notice your produce is already going bad.
From 2020 to 2024, food prices increased by about 23%, according to .
That鈥檚 why North Texans are turning to a Cedars-based produce market that has gone viral on TikTok.
Here a bag of avocados can cost $1.50. Two pounds of strawberries are $3.99.
With three videos with over a million views in the last few weeks, it鈥檚 clear North Texans are eager to lower their grocery bills and want higher-quality options.
Ariana Aguirre, who lives in Seagoville, came to The Cedar Market Ranch with her 4-year-old son, Alan, after seeing the market鈥檚 TikTok videos. She loaded up on grapes, cucumbers, oranges and five boxes of strawberries, Alan鈥檚 favorite.
鈥淚f you used to spend like $100 on something, now you spend like $200 plus. It's a lot,鈥� she said.
Chelsi Lacour also came to the market after seeing Cedar Market鈥檚 TikTok videos. The 29-year-old nurse waited in line with her sister as they pulled along a trolley full of kale, green apples, bananas, oranges, limes, green onions and roma tomatoes.
Lacour said it鈥檚 wonderful to have a place to go for fresh produce. She lives in a part of West Dallas that鈥檚 considered a food desert.
鈥淚 didn't see a lot of things that were beat up or bruised or brown and looked like they had been on the shelves for weeks,鈥� she said.
Arnulfo 鈥淎rnie鈥� Perez III鈥檚 family runs the market. The commitment to good deals and cutting down on food waste started with his father, Arnulfo Perez II. He started slinging watermelons in the 鈥�90s at the old Dallas Farmers Market.
鈥淕o to the grocery store and you see people limit themselves to not buy fresh fruits,鈥� Arnie Perez said. 鈥淪o we saw a little gap and it really fills us inside whenever people come here like, 鈥楾hank you for these prices. I can shop for my family.鈥欌��
How they keep costs down
Thanks to the Perez family鈥檚 experience in the produce industry, they鈥檝e learned how to keep prices affordable.
The market started only about a year ago as a way to sell surplus produce. But the Perez family has been working in the produce industry for decades through their distribution center Southcoast Produce across Coombs Street.
In 1995, husband and wife Arnulfo II and Mayra Perez launched the company to distribute fresh produce to local vendors and restaurants.
Now, South Coast has a 32,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse and about 15 employees. Trucks and forklifts roll in and out, delivering the next batch of produce, transporting it to another location or moving it into Cedars Market next door.
One way the Perez family has found good deals for customers is by cutting down on middle men. That means bargaining directly with farmers and managing the transportation of produce.
They also know how to time the market.
鈥淲e'll buy more when it's cheaper and buy what we need when it's expensive, so we can balance it out and give it the best price possible,鈥� Arnie said.
The produce at Cedar Market is also usually fresher than a big grocery store. Major grocery stores must ship their produce from a farm to a distribution center where it鈥檒l have to sit for a few days before moving to stores nationwide. But Cedars Market is right next to its distribution center, which is why it can more quickly bring customers produce.
鈥淲hat you see on our shelves either arrived that morning or got here the day before, but it's as fresh as can be,鈥� he said.
All in the family
Perhaps the secret to The Cedar Market Ranch鈥檚 success is the Perez family themselves. Led by mom and dad Arnulfo and Mayra, everyone has a part to play.
Arnie hops on a call to bargain over bell peppers. A cousin mans the cash register. Then, of course, there鈥檚 the small but mighty social media team made up of Andres, the youngest son of the family, and his longtime partner Natalya Meli谩n.
It was Natalya, a public relations major at Texas State University, who had the social media vision that made the market go viral. She started posting videos early last year when they opened and has slowly grown a following.
鈥淚 did a video with Andres because I think Andres is very natural. You can tell it's unscripted. It's just very genuine,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat one hit over a million views in less than 48 hours.鈥�
While they saw some surges of attention, with some crowds at the store and influencers posting, those eventually died down.
It was only about a month ago that the Perezes started gaining traction with several reels getting a million views and sustained crowds at the store.
鈥�We had viral ones here and there, but it was never enough to stick it to the point where it is right now,鈥� she said.
so how do we get our produce so fresh and affordable? 馃
They estimate the number of daily transactions jumped from about 200 to a peak of 800 on a recent Saturday.
Andres said people have come from as far as Fort Worth, McKinney and Arlington.
鈥淚t's just awesome to see that they're willing to come in and visit us and just maybe just take a picture with us,鈥� he said.
The atmosphere inside of Cedars Market is reminiscent of the 鈥渙ld days鈥� when you would know the local grocer. Customers can ask employees how grapefruits are doing or can sample dragon fruit or be offered a complimentary mandarin.
Andres said they鈥檙e also working to make sure they 鈥渒eep the vibes high,鈥� which means bringing in coffee vendors at the end of the week and playing a mix of 80s, Latin, country and rock music. But they鈥檙e also hoping to work with more local food vendors and farmers.
These days, the Perez family is just trying to keep up with the growing demand.
But someone smiling at their grocery bill? It鈥檚 more than worth it.
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