November 6, 2024 – Foster has added financial guru Drew Davis to its team
as Chief Financial Officer. Throughout his 11 years in the financial industry, Davis has gained extensive knowledge to develop and grow strong, financial relationships and looks forward to carrying out the Foster vision of “Being THE supply chain solution between people and their food.”
See the full News Release by clicking here.
“…….In 2018, she relocated to Greensboro, NC, to take a position with Foster-Caviness as a produce category manager. In this position, she was responsible for supplier evaluations, contract negotiation and management, as well as FOB buying of commodities such as citrus, tropicals, grapes, berries, and West Coast lettuces and veg. In 2022,…”
A Greensboro-born fresh food distributor is several months from expanding into Winston-Salem, and already it’s anticipating needing a massive new facility within a few years as it expects to grow into a $500 million company within a decade.
The former site of Winston-Salem food company Purple Crow and the soon-to-be headquarters of fresh-food distributor Foster has been sold for more than $23 million.
“It’s super exciting to see the community groundswell to support the efforts up there just from food supply perspective,” said Chris Fuss, vice president of sale and marketing at Foster.
Foster Caviness, a fresh food warehousing and distribution company with a legacy in the Triad, is announcing a new location in Winston-Salem. It will occupy a 165,000 square foot facility on Lowery Street and generate 165 new jobs. An additional 140 employees will be retained from the company’s current location in Guilford County. The expansion will generate capital investment of about $6.25 million over five years.
Foster Caviness is a family-owned fresh produce provider that began in 1902 with a produce stand on a street corner in Guilford County. Today it is headquartered in Colfax and supports the agricultural community throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Following the recent acquisition of Greenville Produce, the company was seeking a new location to meet growth in demand.
Scott Bland, CEO and Owner of Foster Caviness, says “Thank you, Winston-Salem! We’re excited to deepen our roots in this wonderful community to build the most robust fresh food supply chain in the mid-Atlantic. At Foster, people are the heart of everything we do, and we believe connecting people to fresh, quality food is paramount. Everyone on our team sees food as more than sustenance—it’s what nourishes relationships, feeds traditions, and enriches everyday moments to create a better quality of life. Behind every product we offer, there’s a group of passionate individuals dedicated to furthering our mission to make fresh food more accessible for everyone. Our new Winston-Salem facility enhances our mission with advanced dry, refrigerated, and frozen storage solutions for over 50,000,000 packages per year, along with our new ripening solution, packaging, and fresh-cut capabilities for farmers.”
The facility in Winston-Salem is supported by Foster360 – a vertically integrated supply chain solution which ensures precise tracking, management, and handling of inventory, so orders reach customers at the right time, location, cost, and quality. Foster Freight transportation technology, Foster Freshcuts’ reliable fresh cut-to-order solutions, and FosterFoodservice dependable food delivery, will also enhance operations.
A total of 305 jobs will be generated as a result of this project with retained and new workers. The average wage is $55,452. Foster Caviness will also invest in property updates to add 6 ripening rooms, expand the cold storage capacity in the facility, and make other improvements. Foster Caviness worked with Greater Winston-Salem Inc. to facilitate the location project, with help from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC). It is also seeking incentives from the City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
“We are excited to work with Foster Caviness to help them find the ideal place to help their company grow in the Carolina Core,” says Mark Owens, President and CEO of Greater Winston-Salem Inc. “Forsyth County offers a lot of opportunity and access for distribution and logistics operations, and this is one of our key industry sectors for economic growth. This project exemplifies our location’s advantages in the sector, including prime facilities, ease of transportation, and a strong talent pipeline.”
“I am honored to welcome Foster Caviness as a new employer in Winston-Salem,” says Mayor Allen Joines. “We are proud to support their growth with a prime facility ideal for supply chain operations. New employment opportunities will benefit our local citizens.”
“Foster Caviness joins many thriving industrial and logisitcs operations here in Forsyth County,” says Don Martin, chair of the Forsyth County Commissioners. “Our growth in these industries brings new investments and creates job growth to benefit our entire community.”
Foster Caviness expects to begin construction of its new ripening rooms in December, with the new facility fully online in March 2025.
It’s the freshest you can get and it’s all delivered by “no contact.”
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Foster Caviness is a food distributor that usually delivers to restaurants and the like, but now they are reaching out to you.
With their produce box campaign, they are boxing fresh fruits, veggies, and snacks in pre-packaged boxes that you order online and pick up at the Piedmont Triad Farmer’s Market. It is a “no contact” delivery, meaning you pull up and tell them your order number and they put the box directly in your trunk. And you’re done!
You do have to pre-order online. You cannot purchase on-site. But the choices are fresh from local farms in North Carolina. The boxes contain fruit, veggies or a “stay healthy” box which contains a variety of items from milk and eggs to kid-friendly snack packs.
You can read more about it and/or pre-order on their website.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Foster Caviness is a food distributor that usually delivers to restaurants and the like, but now they are reaching out to you.
With their produce box campaign, they are boxing fresh fruits, veggies, and snacks in pre-packaged boxes that you order online and pick up at the Piedmont Triad Farmer’s Market. It is a “no contact” delivery, meaning you pull up and tell them your order number and they put the box directly in your trunk. And you’re done!
You do have to pre-order online. You cannot purchase on-site. But the choices are fresh from local farms in North Carolina. The boxes contain fruit, veggies or a “stay healthy” box which contains a variety of items from milk and eggs to kid-friendly snack packs.
At Foster BB #:108583, we take great pride in bringing people and food together, and we could not be prouder than to announce that we are welcoming the Greenville Produce BB #:282558 team into our Foster360 family.
Greenville Produce is a fellow family-owned fresh produce provider who has been supporting local farms in Eastern North Carolina in a big way since 1991. From potatoes, apples, onions, tricolor peppers and more, they get more local products out of the ground, bagged quicker and into the hands of happy consumers at schools, restaurants and retailers at a better price than any other distributor we know.
With their local relationships, additional cold storage facility and high-speed bagging capabilities, coupled with our international Foster360 network, we can now package more products locally and distribute them farther, faster and fresher to more people. All the while, reducing both costs and waste. A win for all involved.
We share the same commitment to service, quality and culture—always putting our people first. From local growers and shippers, to Foster team members and consumers, we are powered by people every step of the way. And we’ve now got a better group of people than ever to cover the middle and have a larger impact on the agricultural community of the Mid-Atlantic. We are thrilled to have such knowledge, expertise and equipment as a part of our Foster360 team and operations.
Keith Purvis, Owner of Greenville Produce, will be joining the Foster executive team as Vice President of Value Added.
Together, we look forward to continuing to build strong and meaningful relationships across the Mid-Atlantic and bringing more people and food together in even better ways than ever before.
About Foster
Foster has been bringing people and food together since opening a produce stand on a street corner in Guilford County in 1902. Today, this family-owned fresh produce provider has grown to offer global distribution, supply chain, and freight solutions. Headquartered in Colfax, North Carolina, Foster proudly supports the local agricultural community throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.