Ford's Produce Company is a local family owned and operated business whose history spans over 60 years and four generations. Ford's Produce Company was started in 1946 by Andrew Ford and his sons Connie Mac and Carl. As local farmers, they started the company in the off season with one pickup truck, delivering to local general stores. In those early days, Connie Mac Ford stayed in Florida Monday through Friday driving from farm to farm to see who was harvesting, and who had the best quality and price that particular day. Connie Mac personally inspected the crops in the fields, and bought only from the best farmers. His personal touch and reputation were on every product that Ford’s Produce sold. On Friday’s, he’d catch a ride back to Raleigh with the produce truck, and help to sell the products he’d bought and to get money to carry back to Florida for more produce. In 1956, Ford's Produce Company moved into the then state-of-the-art Farmer’s Market on Hodges Street in Raleigh. Commercial room sized refrigeration was still in its infancy, and the new Farmer’s Market was one of the first facilities to make the switch to this modern method instead of icing down the produce for storage and shipment. In the 1960s, truck refrigeration began, and Ford’s was quick to embrace this new technology that would improve the quality of produce delivered to their customers. Lynn Ford and his wife Sandi joined the company in 1973, and soon after, Lynn and his father Connie Mac bought out Carl’s share in the business. In 1985, Connie Mac retired and Lynn Ford took over as President. Personal Computers were just coming on the scene, and Lynn saw the benefit of computer billing to his customers. There were no appropriate computer programs available at the time so Lynn had to hire a former NASA programmer to custom create it. Lynn Ford was dedicated to continuing the innovative spirit of this family business and to move it into the future. He made Ford’s Produce the first produce company in the area to regularly stock California leaf items, one of the first to sell mushrooms, the first to sell pre washed spinach, the first to stock fresh herbs, the first to carry mesclun, the first to provide pre-snipped snap beans, and the first to regularly stock organic vegetables, among many other firsts. In 1991, Ford's Produce moved to its current location at the new State Farmers Market, a regional hub for produce commerce. The new facility has 10 coolers that are controlled for both temperature and humidity. 1992 saw the construction and opening of Mr. Fresh!, the only fresh cut facility in the state, and one of the first dozen or so in America. It was built to insulate our customers from shortages, control quality, and save on labor costs. It is still the only multi-product fresh cut facility in North Carolina. The fourth generation of Fords, Vaughn and Pat, joined the business in 1993 and 1996 and look forward to carrying on the same high standards of quality and service that Ford’s Produce was founded on over 60 years ago. Ford’s Produce carries the widest selection of fresh fruits and vegetables of any company in the Carolinas. We’ve always been proud to serve the finest establishments in our delivery area. From the beginning, we’ve stayed committed to bringing the freshest, highest quality produce from around the country and world to you, our best customer. We look forward to serving you!
