Family owned. Family operated.
Ward’s Fruit and Produce is a fourth-generation, family-operated wholesale produce distributor. We have provided fresh produce for the Triangle area for almost a century.
Ward’s Fruit and Produce first opened on Mangum Street in Durham, NC, primarily as an open-air market retailing fresh produce.
Howard Ward moved his father’s business to the original State Farmer’s Market in Raleigh, NC, and delivered wholesale fresh produce to restaurants, hospitals, hotels, county schools, and small stores, to name just a few.
Ward’s Fruit and Produce moved into their first commercial warehouse space at the current State Farmers Market when it opened as one of the original tenants.
Ward’s became affiliated with the D.O.D. School Lunch Program, delivering produce to numerous school counties in North Carolina over the past 20+ years.
Ward’s voluntarily implemented a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) food safety program, a globally recognized, FDA-regulated preventive food safety management system. For more than a decade, Ward’s has consistently earned superior ratings for its commitment to food safety and quality standards.
Ward’s implemented a new software system – Produce Pro – allowing a better customer experience with online ordering and accessing digital copies of invoices.
The business moved again to its current location at 900 Withers Road.
Ward’s Fruit and Produce becomes Ward’s Produce and rebrands itself.
Warehouse space gets refreshed with more refrigerated slot locations to support its growing product line and geographical expansion