Foster Dairy Farms

Foster Dairy Farms, operating as Crystal Creamery, supplies fresh fluid milk and dairy commodities to the federal government as a prime contractor across USDA food assistance and defense subsistence programs, competing exclusively on a full-and-open basis with no small business set-aside designations. The company is a for-profit dairy manufacturer headquartered in Modesto, California, registered in the federal procurement system since October 2001, and specializes in manufacturing and delivering fresh milk products in multiple fat percentages and container sizes for school meal programs, food bank distributions, and military-base commissaries.

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) dominates Foster Dairy Farms' customer concentration, accounting for 62 awards valued at $122.4 million combined potential value — representing 92% of total dollars across the portfolio. The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service Washington Office follows with 33 awards worth $8.6 million, primarily under commodity procurement contracts for fresh fluid milk deliveries. The Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service has issued 15 awards valued at $1.3 million. The Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons facilities at Mendota and Atwater round out the active customer base with smaller order volumes. Recent representative contracts include a $1.3 million award from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service on April 23, 2026, for delivery of 2% and whole milk in multiple carton sizes to support federal food donations (ultimate completion December 16, 2026); a $596,943 contract from the same USDA office on December 6, 2024, for 2% fresh milk delivery (completion March 26, 2025); and a $15,390 award from USDA Food and Nutrition Service on February 3, 2026, for 1% fresh milk in 64-ounce cartons (completion May 13, 2026).

Foster Dairy Farms sits on two large indefinite-delivery contracts (IDCs) under DeCA: Indefinite Delivery Contract HDEC0106G6627 supporting 25 task orders valued at $56.7 million combined potential value, and Indefinite Delivery Contract HDEC0106G6628 supporting 25 task orders valued at $55.6 million combined potential value. Additional vehicles include IDC DECA0101G5374 (7 task orders), Basic Ordering Agreement HDEC0111G7665 (4 task orders, $121 thousand combined value), and Department of Veterans Affairs IDC VA261P0732 (3 task orders, $51 thousand combined value). Award activity peaked in 2022 and 2023 with 10 awards per year, declining to 6 awards in 2024 and 2 awards each in 2025 and 2026, reflecting a flattening trajectory. Only one award is scheduled for completion in the next twenty-four months, carrying $1.3 million in potential value, presenting minimal near-term recompete exposure.

Foster Dairy Farms operates as a pure prime contractor; the portfolio contains zero subcontract relationships. The company's category concentration aligns tightly with its core business — 97 of 176 awards fall under Fluid Milk Manufacturing (NAICS 311511), with secondary NAICS codes for Poultry Processing (26 awards) and All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing (25 awards), reflecting diversification into egg and commodity procurement related to commissary and prison food service supply. Federal grant participation is limited to three cooperative agreements under the USDA Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP, CFDA 10.183): a $394,198 award on December 16, 2021 (completion June 30, 2022), a $394,198 award on October 13, 2022 (completion December 31, 2023), and an unreported-dollar award on April 6, 2023 (completion December 31, 2024). Under these cooperative agreements, Foster Dairy Farms distributes PMVAP funds directly to eligible dairy farmers, obtains adjusted gross income attestations, issues 1099-MISC forms, documents compliance with program rules, and provides dairy policy education — roles characteristic of a disbursing recipient with no subrecipient pass-through activity.