Lee & Associates Maryland, a fully-integrated commercial real estate brokerage and management firm, in Columbia, has brokered a 76,000-square-foot lease with Imperfect Produce within 8024 Telegraph Road, in Severn. The building was formerly occupied by U.S. Foods, which vacated the space in 2015.

Founded by Ben Simon and Ben Chesler to combat daily food waste, and headquartered in San Francisco, Imperfect Produce ships fruits and vegetables that are considered not suitable for sale in grocery stores directly to consumers’ homes. According to the company, approximately 20 percent of all produce grown in the United States never leave the farm and are either left in the field to rot or taken to a local landfill. The result is billions of pounds of fruits and vegetables discarded on an annual basis.

Imperfect Produce is configured as a subscriber service in which weekly orders, ranging from seven to nine pounds to 23 to 25 pounds, are shipped to families. The Telegraph Road location will function as a regional distribution center.