Definitive Contract 123J1426C0282

Cherry Central Cooperative, Inc., a small agricultural business based in Ludington, Michigan, was awarded a definitive contract by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service on December 9, 2025, to supply bottled fruit juices for domestic food assistance programs. The contract, valued at $3.27 million with a completion deadline of March 31, 2026, is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside and calls for the delivery of apple juice, cherry apple juice, grape concord juice, and cranberry apple juice in 64 fluid ounce plastic bottles. The contract employs firm fixed-price terms with deliveries on a free-on-board destination basis to various locations throughout the United States, and was issued through the USDA's Web Based Supply Chain Management system following a solicitation posted on November 24, 2025.

This award builds upon Cherry Central's established role as a primary supplier of fruit-based commodities to federal food assistance initiatives, including the National School Lunch Program and broader domestic humanitarian assistance efforts. As a cooperative specializing in processing and marketing fruit products, the company has demonstrated capacity to fulfill large-scale government procurement requirements through previous indefinite delivery contracts with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, with ceiling values ranging up to $4.7 million. All commodities supplied under this contract must comply with the Agricultural Acquisition Regulation requirement that products be of United States origin, ensuring support for domestic agricultural producers while meeting critical nutritional needs across federal food assistance programs.