About 3.5 years ago, Frutura made its first acquisition in the produce industry and the initial focus was on grapes, citrus and avocados. However, last year, the company strengthened their presence in the berry segment through the acquisitions of Sun Belle and Giddings. Berries are all that these two companies do and as a result, they have become a critical component for Frutura in best serving their customers. "The opportunities in the berry segment are massive as berries are among the top-selling fresh fruit categories in North America and increasing, globally. And consumer interest is off-the-charts," says David Krause, CEO of Frutura. "Berries have everything a consumer is looking for and household penetration is incredible."
Consolidation of berry brands
"The acquisitions of Sun Belle and Giddings enabled us to prioritize berries and
now selling them under one brand make berries one of our biggest crop categories," Krause added. It's a move to becoming an ever-more-significant berry supplier. "From a customer perspective, it made sense to have one brand as it supports us in making the customer experience seamless and uncomplicated, moving toward surety-of-supply."
Prior to Frutura acquiring the two berry companies, Sun Belle and Giddings had already been working together for about 15 years as Sun Belle was the original marketer of Giddings Berries. "The Sun Belle brand has been in the market for a long time and has been well recognized in the trade. Consolidating all our berry brands under Sun Belle is a reflection of the power and reputation of Sun Belle and the company Janice Honigberg has built over the years," mentioned Krause.
New division
The new berry division will be led by that division's new CEO, JC Clinard. He will be tasked with rebranding of all Frutura's berry assets as Sun Belle, including the renaming of Frutura's berry operations in Mexico to Sun Belle Mexico. These operations are being headed up by Patricio Cortés. Clinard has had broad exposure to a number of Frutura's most important crops, and a breadth of knowledge in the berry sector. Prior to joining Frutura, he spent nearly two decades at Florida-headquartered Wish Farms, an important global berry supplier. "The chance at Frutura felt like a once-in-a-career opportunity. I'm fortunate to join an already-successful company and to build on their track record of innovation, discipline and entrepreneurship that seems to be baked into Frutura's ethos," says JC Clinard.
JC Clinard
Strawberry opportunities
In addition to optimizing Sun Belle into a truly vertically integrated operation, Frutura continues to look for investment opportunities in the berry segment. Adding a mid-size strawberry operation to round out the company's 52-week a year berry portfolio is highly desirable. "We focus on the four main berry varieties, including blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. However, we are currently underweight in strawberries. Our share of strawberries by volume is not matched by the market and we are looking at opportunities immediately," shared Krause.
Genetics drive consumption
Moreover, the company is looking for opportunities in berry genetics, both through Frutura's research and development business, Black Venture Farms, as well as through 3rd party genetic assets. While Black Venture Farms, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Belle Mexico, has its own breeding program, Frutura will continue to seek the best varieties available, no matter who they are from. "Today's genetics continue to drive better quality and higher demand. It's a great time to be in berries. We're ready to level up in every way to optimally serve our customers," commented Clinard. Krause agrees that great varieties drive consumption. "We're witnessing how the breeding efforts in the grape category drive consumption and we have some wonderful berry genetics in the pipeline that will be a step in this direction."
For more information:
Maureen Crow
Frutura
[email protected]
www.fruturaproduce.com