Valley Grocers introduces wholesale operation to Starr County commissioners, seeks county vendor opportunities

Representatives of Valley Grocers LLC introduced their wholesale grocery and distribution business to the Starr County Commissioners Court on April 14 and asked to be considered as an approved county vendor.

Carlo Garcia, identified in the meeting as the manager for Valley Grocers in Allen, and Ben Martinez, identified as a supervisor, described the business history tracing back to E. De La Garza Wholesale, founded in 1918. Garcia said the company distributes food and related products across the Rio Grande Valley, serves retail and institutional clients, and is seeking county business such as jail commissary supply contracts.

Garcia told the court, "We're trying to be as an approved vendor," and explained the company’s service footprint and brands. The county judge and commissioners thanked the representatives for the introduction and noted that purchases for jail commissary and detention‑center food are coordinated with the sheriff’s office.

Details provided by Valley Grocers included self‑reported customer counts and logistics. Several numeric details in the spoken presentation appeared uncertain or incomplete in the meeting transcript (for example warehouse square footage and order counts) and should be confirmed with the company or its written materials before being cited as precise figures.

Why it matters

Adding local or regional distributors as approved vendors can affect procurement options and pricing for county food service, jail commissary operations and other institutional purchases. The sheriff’s office retains responsibility over jail food procurement and would be the operational contact for commissary contracts.

Speakers quoted

"We're trying to be as an approved vendor," Carlo Garcia said when describing Valley Grocers' interest in providing goods to the county.