General Info

Institution Food House is one of the 13 largest food service distributors in the country. Its parent company, Alex Lee, is a diversified food company headquartered in Hickory, N.C. In addition to IFH, Alex Lee is comprised of Merchants Distributors, a wholesale grocery distributor, and Lowes Foods, a grocery retailer with approximately 100 stores. IFH distributes canned goods, dry grocery, bakery goods, produce, beverages and dairy products from name brands, such as Sara Lee, Mission Foodservice, General Mills, Rich s, Blue Bunny, Campbell s and ConAgra Foods. The company ships its 3,000 different items with a fleet of more than 240 trucks. Founded in 1966, Institution Food House maintains a 550,000-square-foot facility in Hickory, N.C., and a 330,000-square-foot facility in Florence, S.C.