Agriculture Acquisitions in Washington

Hoffmann Family of Companies (HF Companies), a family-owned investment firm, has acquired a majority interest in Smith Gardens, a fourth-generation greenhouse grower headquartered in Bellingham, Washington. The deal (which includes Smith Gardens' Pacific Plug & Liner propagation division) keeps Eric and Mark Smith in leadership with partial ownership and expands Hoffmann's agricultural vertical into the Pacific Northwest.

AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. has acquired Pace International LLC from Valent BioSciences LLC, expanding AgroFresh’s post‑harvest solutions portfolio and strengthening its presence in key fruit‑growing regions in North and South America. The deal pairs Pace’s edible coatings, fungicides, storage treatments and application equipment with AgroFresh’s global scale and will be complemented by a strategic collaboration between AgroFresh and Valent BioSciences to accelerate innovation.

International Farming (IFC), a privately‑owned institutional asset manager, has acquired Chelan Fruit Cooperative, a 100‑year‑old Washington grower, packer and shipper of apples, cherries and pears. The deal combines Chelan Fruit’s orchards, packing and controlled‑atmosphere storage with IFC’s existing Washington tree‑fruit footprint to drive economies of scale and improve grower economics.

Hydrobuilder Holdings LLC acquired Home Grown Ventures (HGV / HGV Nutrients), a manufacturer and distributor of proprietary water-soluble nutrients for commercial and hobbyist growers. The acquisition brings HGV in-house as part of Hydrobuilder's omnichannel platform to vertically integrate manufacturing and support the company's growth across commercial and retail channels.

Arable Capital Partners has acquired Royal Ridge Fruits, Dorsing Farms, Inc. and related entities, partnering with the Dorsing family who will remain involved and roll over a meaningful equity stake. The investment gives Arable a vertically integrated platform in growing, processing and cold storage of organic and conventional dried and IQF fruits based in Royal City, Washington, to support future growth in organics and value-added fruit ingredients.

Semios, a Vancouver-based precision-farming platform, has acquired Centricity, a Wenatchee, Washington developer of field data collection applications including ApRecs. The acquisition will integrate Centricity's web and mobile tools into Semios' platform to simplify growers' workflows, improve data mediation and analytics, and accelerate delivery of integrated AgTech solutions for permanent-crop growers and agri-businesses.

Clearview Capital Fund III's portfolio company Orchard & Vineyard Supply (OVS) acquired Davis Pump & Electric Motors, a Washington-based provider of water pump installation and repair services, with the transaction closing on December 18, 2020. The deal expands OVS's Pump & Water Systems capability and Washington footprint; Davis' owners Scott and Darin Davis will continue to operate as the Washington division of OVS.

Illinois Foundation Seeds, Inc. (IFSI) has acquired D&D Seed Co., a family-owned beet and Swiss chard seed breeder and producer based in Mount Vernon, Washington. IFSI will integrate D&D into its Sweet Corn business unit to expand its vegetable seed genetics offering and use its distribution network (including Pacific Northwest partners and IFSI facilities in Illinois) to market D&D varieties.

GRO-WELL Environmental Partners (the parent of GRO-WELL Brands), a portfolio company of GEF Capital Partners, has acquired Pacific Topsoils Inc., a Pacific Northwest supplier of topsoil, bark and landscape construction materials. The acquisition expands GRO-WELL's product and service footprint throughout the Western United States and reinforces its recycling and sustainability capabilities.

North American Fur Auctions (NAFA) has acquired American Legend Cooperative (ALC), a U.S.- and Canada-focused agricultural marketing cooperative that processes, markets and sells fur pelts and products. The deal unifies major North American fur industry participants to increase scale and volume, with the combined entities expected to strengthen pricing stability for member patrons.