Fords Produce Company Inc Since 1946 | 1-800-821-FORD (3673)
Spotlight

Company Highlights

    • Locally owned and operated since 1946
    • Located on the North Carolina State Farmers Market, allowing easy accessibility to local produce when available and practical
    • Our own Mr. Fresh! Fresh-Cut fruit and vegetable processing facility – since 1992. We can custom cut any item you need.
    • Product quality and accounting control for multiple locations
    • Complete line of fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, specialty items, salad dressings, eggs, cheese, milk products and dry goods.
    • Regular routes to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, RTP, The Sandhills, Wilmington and Eastern North Carolina. We also serve on request all of North Carolina and Coastal South Carolina.
    • Accredited Buiness A+ Rating Better Business BureauFord's Produce Company is a BBB Accredited Wholesale Fruits and Vegetables Supplier in Raleigh, NC
    • Superior rating for Good Manufacturing Practices and general cleanliness by Primus Labs (market leader in food safety and quality assurance)
    • North Carolina Department of Agriculture, FDA and USDA inspected
    • Quality Assurance / Control Manager
    • HACCP Program
    • Food Safety / Handling Training Programs
    • Product Recall Program
    • Our drivers are tested, trained, uniformed, respectful and helpful
    • Product is stocked and rotated in customers cooler or storage area
    • Red Book Credit Services Character Award
    • Blue Book Trading Member since 1954
    • D & B Rated
    • Produce Ordering App download on Google Play & Itunes.
    • Online Ordering
    • Weekly Produce Supply Newsletter
    • Modern 18,900 square foot warehouse separated into ten different areas. Products are stored based on product needs of temperature and humidity.
    • Proud sponsor of the Inter Faith Food Shuttle

We look forward to serving you!

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Weekly News Archive

Limes available

Good Morning! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, Peppers and Cucumbers are available in good numbers. The cool nights are slowing production from the vines, but they’re going strong now. We’re also seeing some muscadine grapes coming to market. Apples – They are now harvesting new crop Gala apples and Honeycrisp apples out of Washington. The new crop looks to be another good one with estimates of around 125 million cases this year. Although this is smaller than last year’s crop of around 136 million, it’s still shaping up to be an excellent crop! Avocados- Supplies from Mexico have normalized again and pricing is much improved. Blueberries – Remain extremely tight and prices are through the roof. Domestically everyone is done, but South America (Peru and Argentina) is late getting started and cold, wet weather has slowed berry maturity even more. Of what little is coming to market, most is going to Europe and even Israel because of higher import prices in those countries are willing pay. We expect them to stay very high until supplies increase at the end of October. Its a great time to look at other berries in the meanwhile. Citrus – California citrus groves continue to struggle with lesser quality than we’d all like to see. We’ve moved to imported oranges to find nicer fruit until California’s season improves. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is winding down in the north and Georgia is getting cranked up. They’ll be the major source into fall. Dry Goods – Keep us in mind for your go trays, bags, disposable cups and utensils. We offer a wide range of your kitchen essentials. Eggs – Markets remain high with summer heat and Avian flu taking a toll. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Limes – Mexican farmers are struggling to fill orders. Pricing is very high suddenly. This decrease in volume is expected to persist for a few weeks, but by the end of September, we hope to see improved yields and pricing. Light rains and temperatures have been a key factor in getting the fruit to arrive with good quality and consistency. Tomatoes – Local Tomatoes are still available, though the cooler weather has slowed their production down a bit. Local heirlooms are available again. Dogs can bark up to 500 times per day. But that’s a ruff estimate.

Blueberries – Should continue locally well into July and then we’ll make the transition to more Northern states like New Jersey and Michigan.

Good Morning! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, Peppers and Cucumbers are available again. The cool nights are slowing production from the vines, but they’re going strong now. We’re also seeing some muscadine grapes coming to market. Apples – They are now harvesting new crop Gala apples and Honeycrisp apples out of Washington. The new crop looks to be another good one with estimates of around 125 million cases this year. Although this is smaller than last year’s crop of around 136 million, it’s still shaping up to be an excellent crop! The quality of the new crop fruit is reported to be very good, but the fruit size will run smaller than average this season which means less large tray apples this year. Blueberries – Got extremely tight last week as everyone domestically seemed to finish at the same time. We’ll be looking to Chilean and Peruvian shippers to suppy the market until January or so. Unfortunately, European buyers will pay more for the fruit, so our fruit is being diverted to Europe for the higher markets. Expect them to stay very high until supplies increase at the end of October. Citrus – California citrus groves continue to struggle with lesser quality than we’d all like to see. We’ve moved to imported oranges to find nicer fruit until California’s season improves. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is winding down in the north and Georgia is getting cranked up. They’ll be the major source into fall. Dry Goods – Keep us in mind for your go trays, bags, disposable cups and utensils. We offer a wide range of your kitchen essentials. Eggs – Markets remain high with summer heat and Avian flu taking a toll. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Limes – Mexican farmers are struggling to fill orders. Pricing is very high suddenly. This decrease in volume is expected to persist for a few weeks, but by the end of September, we hope to see improved yields and pricing. Light rains and temperatures have been a key factor in getting the fruit to arrive with good quality and consistency. Tomatoes – Local Tomatoes are still available, though the cooler weather has slowed their production down a bit. Local heirlooms are in a bit of a gap right now though. Q: Where do squirrels go during a tornado? A: Everywhere.

apples

Good Morning! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, Peppers and Cucumbers are available again. The cool nights are slowing production from the vines, but they’re going strong now. We’re also seeing some muscadine grapes coming to market. Apples – They are now harvesting new crop Gala apples and Honeycrisp apples out of Washington. The new crop looks to be another good one with estimates of around 125 million cases this year. Although this is smaller than last year’s crop of around 136 million, it’s still shaping up to be an excellent crop! The quality of the new crop fruit is reported to be very good, but the fruit size will run smaller than average this season which means less large tray apples this year. Blueberries – Got extremely tight this week as everyone domestically seems to be done at the same time. We’ll be looking to Chilean and Peruvian shippers to suppy the market until January or so. Expect them to stay very high until supplies increase at the end of October. Citrus – California citrus groves continue to struggle with lesser quality than we’d all like to see. We’ve moved to imported oranges to find nicer fruit until California’s season improves. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is still in good volume in the north and quality is excellent! There was a bit of a price jump with the increasing demand for the holiday weekend. Dry Goods – Keep us in mind for your go trays, bags, disposable cups and utensils. We offer a wide range of your kitchen essentials. Eggs – Markets remain high with summer heat and Avian flu taking a toll. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Potatoes – Idaho shippers are packing and shipping new crop potatoes in good volumes and excellent quality. Prices are starting out very reasonable and it’s looking like a strong season. Tomatoes – Tomatoes are still going strong with many varieties available. Local heirlooms are in a bit of a gap right now though. Q: What’s a forklift? A: Food mostly.

Blueberries – Should continue locally well into July and then we’ll make the transition to more Northern states like New Jersey and Michigan.

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers are starting again. The cool nights last week slowed production from the vines, but they’re going strong now. Tomatoes are still going strong with many varieties available. Local heirlooms are in a bit of a gap right now though. Apples – We continue to have good supplies of apples for this time of year out of Washington and on imports from Chile as well. Some new crop pears are available now and we should begin seeing early maturing varieties like galas and golden delicious very soon. Blueberries – Are rapidly coming to an end domestically. The heat got too much for the bushes and suddenly the farms just didn’t have any product to ship. Chilean growers are getting started and we’ll begin seeing imports very soon and that should add some necessary volume to the markets. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is in still in good volume in the north and quality is excellent! There was a bit of a price jump with the increasing demand for the holiday weekend. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Potatoes – We received our first shipment of new crop Idaho baking potatoes this week and just Wow! They are beautiful. We’re looking at a great season if they continue like this. My daughter asked if the mango was ready. I said no it’s yellowey?

Apples – They are now in the last days of harvest on this new crop of apples.

Good Morning! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers are starting again. The cool nights this week are slowing production from the vines, but they’re producing. Tomatoes are still going strong and melons are still widely available. Apples – We continue to have good supplies of apples for this time of year out of Washington and on imports from Chile as well. Most varieties and packs have good availability, and quality is holding up very nicely this season. Supplies out of storage in Washington are still above average for this time of year on many varieties. There are a few varieties and packs that have tightened a little and are resulting in some higher pricing. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Crops were originally projected to have larger yields this season, but use caution as supply is going to get tighter as we move through August. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is in huge volumes in the north and quality and pricing are excellent! Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Potatoes – Some growing areas are beginning harvest now for their fall crop of reds, whites, yukons and even russets. We have our first shipment of new crop Idaho baking potatoes on the road headed this way and we’re looking forward to fresh new potatoes and improved quality. Q: Why do fish swim in salt water? A: Because pepper water makes them sneeze.

Idaho Potatoes

Good Morning! Avocados – Have had a tough summer. It started out with USDA inspectors getting kidnapped in Michoacan, Mexico. So… the USDA refused to allow imports of Mexican avocados for about 2 weeks until they could sort out the security of the inspectors over there. This caused a gap in supply, raising prices for a few weeks. Now availability from orchards in Mexico has become very limited and we can expect a much lower amount of fruit coming into the U.S. California. Peru will soon be at the tail end of their respective seasons, so pricing volatility will be present for the rest of August. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Crops were originally projected to have larger yields this season, but use caution as supply is going to get tighter as we move through August. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only affecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Grapes – Temperatures in the Central Valley growing regions have finally cooled down to the mid-90s this week. The cooler weather will help increase inventory levels due to the return of full picking days. Melons – Local melons of all types are still making it to market, though quality has suffered due to the heavy rains last week. Melons of all types are growing seemingly everywhere now (it is summertime afterall) keeping pricing low and making it a great time to feature them. Potatoes – Some growing areas are beginning harvest now for their fall crop of reds, whites, yukons, and even russets. We’ll happily be into new crop baking potatoes soon and enjoying the better quality. I was riding by a dairy farm near my house and saw a cow playing the harmonica. Astonished, I drove up to the barn and asked the farmer about his cow. He replied, “Yeah, she’s a moosician.”

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Fords Produce Company Inc Since 1946 | 1-800-821-FORD (3673)

Copyright © - Ford's Produce Co., Inc., 1109 Agriculture Street Suite 1, Raleigh, NC 27603
1-800-821-FORD (3673)

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