Ford's Produce Company

What Ford's Produce Company does

Ford's Produce Company, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned fresh produce wholesaler and distributor founded in 1946 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company sources fruits and vegetables from local, regional, and international growers and distributes them primarily to restaurants and grocery stores across North Carolina, with ancillary fundraising sales to schools and organizations. Described as a four-generation business grounded in long-term customer relationships, Ford's operates as an independent regional distributor without disclosed institutional ownership, parent company, or external funding rounds.

The company's operational platform is built on three integrated assets: an 18,900-square-foot refrigerated warehouse at the Raleigh State Farmer's Market with ten humidity-controlled storage rooms; the Mr. Fresh! fresh-cut processing facility, positioned as the only state-inspected and approved facility of its kind in eastern North Carolina; and an owned fleet of fully refrigerated straight trucks supported by computerized routing that enables six-day-per-week delivery. Customer-facing technology consists of a web-based ordering portal and a mobile application for iOS and Android (the latter appears to be built on the Pepper ordering platform), allowing buyers to place orders directly. The company holds a Primus Superior rating in Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Distribution Practices, and Processing.

Ford's revenue model is wholesale distribution on a transaction basis with quote-based, non-publicly disclosed pricing tied to product, volume, and customer relationship. Value-added fresh-cut processing under the Mr. Fresh! sub-brand is the primary differentiation layer versus pure commodity distributors, with the company claiming product at least five days fresher than west-coast source providers. Marketing is largely content-driven through weekly produce supply updates, email newsletters, and a company blog dating back to 2018. Geographic scope remains tightly bound to North Carolina with no disclosed expansion plans or new-market investments.

Name

Ford's Produce Company

Legal name

Ford's Produce Company, Inc.

Website

https://fordsproduce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ford's Produce Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned fresh produce wholesaler based in Raleigh, NC, distributing fruits and vegetables to restaurants, grocery stores, and fundraising groups across North Carolina via an owned refrigerated fleet and the Mr. Fresh! cut-processing facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Cut / Value-Added Produce Wholesale (Pre-Cut, Packaged, Salad Kits) (AFAIACAD), Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE)

Keywords

• Fresh produce distribution
• Wholesale produce supply
• Fresh-cut processing
• Refrigerated logistics
• Foodservice distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables to restaurants and grocery stores. Acts as a wholesaler, receiver, distributor and importer of fresh produce from local, regional, and international sources.
2. Fresh-Cut Produce (Mr. Fresh!): Value-added fresh-cut produce processing and distribution through their state-inspected facility in eastern North Carolina.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ford's Produce Company is a wholesale distributor, receiver, and importer of fresh fruits and vegetables serving restaurants and grocery stores across North Carolina. The company operates from the State Farmer's Market in Raleigh with refrigerated warehouse and a refrigerated delivery fleet providing six-day-per-week delivery, and runs the Mr. Fresh! brand—a fresh-cut produce line produced in the only state-inspected fresh-cut processing facility in eastern North Carolina.

Product overview

Ford's Produce Company is a fresh produce distributor and wholesaler based in Raleigh, NC, providing quality fruits and vegetables since 1946. The company operates as a single unified business with multiple service channels: the core fresh produce distribution service, supplemented by the Mr. Fresh! fresh-cut processing facility (the only state-inspected fresh-cut facility in eastern North Carolina), a mobile ordering application for iOS and Android, and a web-based online ordering portal. Additional offerings include dry goods and a fundraising program. The company operates from a State Farmer's Market warehouse with ten refrigerated storage rooms totaling 18,900 square feet and maintains a fleet of fully refrigerated delivery trucks for six-day-per-week distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mr. Fresh!: Fresh-cut produce brand - provides freshest and highest quality fresh-cut produce year-round, operating the only state inspected and approved fresh-cut processing facility in eastern North Carolina.

Products and services

• Fresh Produce Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables sourced from local, regional, and international suppliers, delivered to restaurants and grocery stores in North Carolina via owned refrigerated trucks on a six-day-per-week schedule.
• Mr. Fresh! Fresh-Cut Produce

Quantifiable outcome

• Product is at least five days fresher than west coast source providers

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Father Sam's BakeryminorOthers · 10 February 2020Ford's Produce proudly carries Father Sam's Bakery Premium Organic Tortillas/Wraps - a locally made product in Charlotte, NC. The tortillas are marketed as premium quality with features including authentic spices and natural seasonings, fully baked and par-baked varieties, higher moisture content that prevents ripping or tearing, and a full portfolio of options.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Coosemans: Specialty produce distributor serving restaurants, hotels, and retailers in multiple US markets. Direct comparable in fresh produce wholesale and fresh-cut value-added offerings, with similar customer segments.
• Cheney Brothers: Regional broadline foodservice distributor serving the Southeast, including North Carolina, with a strong fresh produce program. Closely comparable in regional foodservice distribution model and customer overlap.
• Produce Alliance: Group purchasing organization and fresh produce procurement network serving foodservice operators. Comparable in serving restaurant and institutional customers with fresh produce supply, though through a network model rather than single-asset distribution.
• Capitol City Produce: Regional fresh produce distributor serving restaurants and grocers in the Carolinas with refrigerated distribution. Closely comparable in geographic footprint, customer segments, and operating model.
• Hines Nut & Specialty Produce: Regional specialty produce and fresh-cut distributor serving foodservice customers in the Southeast and Midwest. Comparable in fresh-cut processing capability and restaurant customer focus.
• FreshPoint: Sysco-owned specialty fresh produce distributor operating across the US with refrigerated warehousing and foodservice delivery. Direct competitor to Ford's Produce in the wholesale fresh produce distribution model, though at much larger national scale.
• Loffredo Fresh Produce: Regional fresh produce distributor serving the Midwest with refrigerated warehousing and fresh-cut processing. Comparable in operating model (wholesale + fresh-cut processing) and regional foodservice customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Ben E. Keith Foods: Multi-state broadline foodservice distributor with a significant produce division serving restaurants across the Southeast and Southwest. Comparable in target customer base (restaurants) and distribution model, but broader product portfolio and larger geographic footprint.
• Gordon Food Service: Large broadline foodservice distributor with a fresh produce program across North America. Comparable in B2B foodservice distribution model, though at substantially larger scale and broader product mix.
• Shamrock Foods: Family-owned foodservice distributor with dairy, produce, and grocery operations across multiple states. Comparable in family-owned heritage and foodservice focus, though larger scale and broader product mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fordsproduce
• Facebookfacebook.com/FordsProduce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Ford's Produce Company