GrubMarket Acquires London Fruit, Expanding Further in Texas; Mike Xu and Barry London Share
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Well, would you look at that. GrubMarket has acquired a wholesale produce distributor once again. This time, the company announced its purchase of London Fruit, which is located in Pharr, Texas—a city known for being a critical bridge between the United States and Mexico.
“I admire Barry [London] and Jerry [Garcia] for the exceptional work they have done over the last 40+ years building London Fruit into a highly-regarded, cutting-edge fresh produce business with a sterling reputation amongst its many long-time customers,” said Mike Xu, Chief Executive Officer of GrubMarket. “They have put considerable effort into maintaining top food safety ratings and utilizing modern technologies to provide the highest-quality limes, avocados, and other specialty fresh produce. This acquisition enables GrubMarket to further strengthen our presence in Texas, while fortifying our global sourcing capabilities in Mexico and South America. We are excited to welcome the London Fruit team to the GrubMarket family.”
London Fruit has cultivated long-standing relationships with retailers, supermarkets, and wholesalers throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company is committed to maintaining the highest food safety standards, with a near-perfect 99 percent Good Manufacturing Practices rating from PrimusGFS. To further enhance the safety and shelf-life of its products, in 2020, London Fruit began offering Hazel 100™ technology as a value-added service. After the acquisition, the business will continue to be managed by its current mission-driven leadership team.
The fruit distributor will now utilize GrubMarket's innovative and proprietary WholesaleWare software suite, according to a press release.
“When I started London Fruit over four decades ago, we were a small operation focused on just mangos and limes. Now, we can truly offer a taste of the tropics with a global operation focused on high-quality produce, superior packaging, and exceptional service. We are thrilled to join the GrubMarket team that shares our passion for utilizing technology and operational expertise to offer the freshest food to customers everywhere. We are also excited to access GrubMarket's impressive grower network, and leverage its e-commerce and software ecosystem,” said Barry London, Founder of London Fruit.
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