The recent change in ownership at General Produce has been “nothing but positive,” according to Randy Lineberger, executive vice president and general manager at General Produce LLC.

The Castellini Group of Cos. acquired General Produce, which is headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Forest Park, GA, this past June.  

The acquisition has allowed Cincinnati-based Castellini to continue its expansion into the southeastern United States. 

“As far as logistics go, they were looking for a distribution point in the Southeast,” said Lineberger. “Since transportation costs are so expensive, it benefits Castellini to have a facility in the Southeast. It will make us stronger, with the resources of a larger company behind us.” 

Boxes of limes, strawberries and onions ready to be shipped at General Produce.General Produce is one of the larger full-line wholesale produce houses in the Southeast. It serves retail, food service and wholesale customers in 11 Southeastern states on its own fleet of trucks. It offers a full line of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round.  

“General Produce LLC. is still providing all the service tools that customers need to be successful,” Lineberger said. The company, he added, is as strong as ever, but they are aiming to get even stronger in the marketplace.

“We are willing to facilitate any changes that we deem to be necessary to stay current with the industry,” said Lineberger. “We’ve been on a continuous growth mode for quite some time.” 

General Produce attributes its growth to its ability to remain current in the industry, such as continuous improvement in food-safety practices, and in its extensive transportation network. The company’s revenue has grown substantially as its reputation grows throughout the Southeast.  

Business has been good for General Produce, but the challenges of the produce business are always there. “We are always dealing with uncontrollable variables, such as weather, which can be good one week, and bad another. Weather is always a challenge in the produce business,” said Lineberger.

The important thing, he added, is to do the best you can.

The challenges in the business are ever changing. “It’s never the same problem,” he said. “Each and every day there is a different opportunity that you face in the produce business.” 

Lineberger has been in the business 25 years. He said that what has come to the fore front over the years is food safety. Consumers have become more concerned about the safety of the food they purchase for their families. As a result, the leaders in the industry are putting more programs and practices in place to ensure that the products they supply meet the consumers increased demands for safe foods.

Food safety guidelines are very important for General Produce and the company follows all food-safety practices. It also has a full-time staff dedicated to Food Safety and Traceability and is a PrimusLabs Platinum vendor.

There is more packaging in fresh produce than ever before.

As for trends, there is the growing trend of organics becoming more and more popular. “We are trying to grow our organic business,” said Lineberger. “That means developing strong and lasting relations with organic suppliers.“ 

Lineberger said the company, as always, continues to be committed to quality, service and overnight delivery to 11 states.