Definitive Contract 123J1426C0490

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service awarded a $977,573.25 firm-fixed-price contract to Welch Foods Inc., A Cooperative on January 9, 2026, for the supply of Concord grape juice in 8/64 fluid ounce plastic bottles to support domestic food assistance programs, including the National School Lunch Program. The contract, which is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside, has an ultimate completion date of March 31, 2026, and represents a renewal of Welch Foods' ongoing role as a key supplier of juice products to federal nutrition initiatives. The awardee, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, will perform the contract from its facility in North East, Pennsylvania.

The underlying solicitation, issued by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Commodity Procurement Program on January 5, 2026, called for approximately 68,675 cases of domestically produced bottled juice with deliveries scheduled throughout March 2026 to multiple locations across the United States. The procurement included a 10% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business preference alongside its small business set-aside designation. Welch Foods' extensive federal award history and demonstrated capacity—having previously secured contracts for approximately 2 million cases of juice—position the company as a reliable supplier within the federal food assistance infrastructure, supporting national nutritional and school meal programs.