Sunkist and Taylor Farms team on fresh-cut venture
Sunkist and Taylor Farms team on fresh-cut venture
Two of the bigger names in fresh produce are teaming up to expand their presence in the fast-growing fresh-cut fruit category.
Sunkist Growers, a leading marketer of fresh citrus based in Sherman Oaks, CA, and Taylor Farms, a leading supplier of value-added fresh produce to the North American foodservice industry, based in Salinas, CA, announced a new joint venture, Sunkist Taylor LLC. The announcement was made Feb. 22 at Sunkist's 112th annual meeting in Ventura, CA.
"This is an ideal partnership, combining the resources and expertise of two great companies, both with wide brand recognition, strong customer bases and superior logistics and processing presence," Jeff Gargiulo, president and chief executive officer of Sunkist Growers, said in a statement. "Together, Sunkist and Taylor Farms have well-established relationships with large, national distributors, major retailers and restaurant chains. And Taylor Farms' state-of-the-art processing plants strategically located across the country ensure the freshest possible customer service."
"Our goal is to build our fresh-cut fruit operation to serve both foodservice and retail customers nationwide," said Bruce Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Taylor Farms. "Sunkist Growers is the perfect partner, a company whose brand is known the world over and recognized as a mark of premier quality and superior service. Our expertise in fresh vegetables and bagged salads and Sunkist's expertise in fresh citrus and other fruits are a perfect combination."
Taylor Farms entered the fresh-cut produce arena in 1995 and quickly became a leader in supplying the foodservice industry with salads and fresh-cut vegetables. Sunkist entered the fresh-cut valued-added category in 2004 with the introduction of Sunkist "Fun Fruit," a popular line of kid-size fresh-cut produce developed for school foodservice.
Rick Harris, currently general manager of Sunkist's value-added division, will be president of Sunkist Taylor LLC. "It's an exciting opportunity," he said. "With this new venture, we're dedicated to bringing the most innovative, healthful and convenient fresh-cut products to customers nationwide."