International Farming Acquires Chelan Fruit Cooperative

FirstFruits Farms (Ontario Teachers-backed) Acquires Applewood Orchards and Applewood Fresh Growers

December 21, 2023

Agriculture

FirstFruits Farms, a portfolio company of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, has acquired Applewood Orchards, Inc. and Applewood Fresh Growers LLC. The deal expands FirstFruits' growing, packing and distribution footprint—adding apple acreage, controlled-atmosphere storage and new club apple varieties to better serve customers across the Midwest and East Coast.

AM FRESH Group Acquires International Fruit Genetics and Merges It with SNFL

August 16, 2023

Agriculture

AM FRESH Group has agreed to acquire International Fruit Genetics (IFG) and merge it with Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL), creating an integrated table grape and cherry breeding platform. The combined business will be majority‑controlled by AM FRESH with significant minority investment from EQT Future and continued investment/reinvestment from Paine Schwartz Partners to accelerate R&D, broaden gene pools and scale varietal commercialization.

AgriFORCE to Acquire 70% of Berry People LLC

January 24, 2023

Agriculture

AgriFORCE Growing Systems Ltd. entered a binding letter of intent to acquire a 70% equity stake in Berry People LLC for a total purchase price of $28.0 million (approximately $18.2M cash and $9.8M in restricted shares), with potential earnouts over five years. The deal is intended to bolster AgriFORCE's Brands division, expand distribution and vertical integration in fresh berries, and realize commercial synergies with its UN(THINK) business and other partners.

Fremman Capital Acquires Majority Stake in The Natural Fruit Company

July 1, 2021

Food & Beverage

Fremman Capital has closed the acquisition of a majority stake in The Natural Fruit Company (TNFC), a leading Spanish citrus processor and distributor, with GPF Capital remaining involved alongside existing shareholders. TNFC, which controls approximately 900 hectares of plantations and operates eight processing facilities (plus a logistics site in Perpignan, France), will pursue organic growth and an active M&A-driven consolidation strategy under Fremman's ownership; financial terms were not disclosed.

Agriculture Capital Acquires Firestone Pacific Foods

September 26, 2019

Food & Beverage

Agriculture Capital has acquired Firestone Pacific Foods, a frozen fruit processor that operates IQF processing, packing and cold storage facilities. The investment will expand Firestone’s processing and cold storage capacity and help Agriculture Capital build a vertically integrated fruit platform (AC Foods) with access to blueberry farms and private-label, industrial and retail outlets.

Gerawan Farming and Wawona Packing Merge with Paine Schwartz Support

September 25, 2019

Agriculture

Gerawan Farming Inc. and Wawona Packing Co., LLC completed a merger to create a larger, combined stone-fruit growing and packing platform, with Paine Schwartz (an existing investor in Wawona) partnering to facilitate the transaction. Dan Gerawan will lead the combined company as the largest individual shareholder and CEO, while Brent Smittcamp remains a significant shareholder and engaged executive.