Foster-Caviness awarded federal fresh produce contracts for N.C. customers

Greensboro, N.C.-based fresh produce distributor Foster-Caviness has been awarded major contracts totaling up to $93.75 million through the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency to provide fresh produce to military and school customers in North Carolina.

Serving military and school customers since 2007, this is the third time Foster-Caviness has been awarded contracts through the agency, according to a news release.

Under the contract, Foster-Caviness will supply fresh fruits and vegetables to Fort Bragg, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Pope Air Force Base, Cherry Point, and Camp Lejeune. The Defense Logistics Agency, which also helps provide fresh produce to schools in the state for the USDA school lunch program, chose Foster-Caviness as a prime fresh produce vendor for schools.

“We are grateful to have been considered and selected as the produce distributor for these contracts,” Paul Lieb, president of Foster-Caviness, said in the release. “It is our honor to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to both our soldiers and school children throughout North Carolina.”

Lieb said in the release that having distribution centers in Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte allows the company to provide the consistent logistical capabilities that such a program requires. What’s more, he said the company’s local produce sourcing through its Friends of Farmers initiative meets the needs of buyers. “The Friends of Farmers program allows us to make this truly a statewide effort from farm to fork,” he said in the release.