Lipman Family Farms, a large open-field tomato grower in North America, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ontario, Canada-based Huron Produce, a greenhouse grower and distributor of tomatoes and vegetables with operations in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
A multi-generational, family-owned company with more than 50 years in the produce business, Huron Produce packs under the Suntastic brand. The expansion into greenhouse product will allow Lipman to offer its customers hothouse- and field-grown tomatoes and vegetables year-round.
“The Huron Produce acquisition is truly transformative,” said Darren Micelle, chief operating officer of Lipman. “We look forward to the opportunities resulting from the introduction of our proprietary varieties into the protected agriculture space. We have innovative new products planned that will create value for our customers. Likewise, Huron Produce can now expand their customer offering to include field grown product.”
Jeff Kints, president of Huron Produce, said, “The transaction with Lipman will allow Huron to build on our years of success, accelerate our business strategies and enhance our service and product offering to our customers. It is clear we and Lipman share the same values, both being family businesses with long histories in agriculture and fresh produce. You’d never know Lipman is as big as they are. They work more like a small, agile company with a focus on people. The Lipman leadership team understands that people create the difference.”
As part of the acquisition, Lipman plans to expand operations with new facilities in Canada, Nebraska, a second location in Denver CO and a warehouse in McAllen TX. The acquisition is expected to close in April 2018.
Centerview Partners is serving as Lipman’s financial advisor on the transaction.