The Mart Group LLC, which consists of four Idaho potato grower-shippers, has entered into a joint venture with onion grower ProSource Inc.
The new joint venture brings ownership of The Mart Group, ProSource and Golden West Produce LLC, forming a collaborative grower-based potato and onion marketing company, according to a news release.
The Mart Group, Rupert, Idaho, does business as Mart Produce, which will acquire a “significant equity position” in ProSource, according to the release. ProSource and Mart Produce will combine sales staffs and consolidate fresh-pack potato and onion sales and marketing activities.
The new entity becomes effective Aug. 1, but the sales and marketing merger will occur when the companies finalize the pending agreement, which could be sooner, according to the release.
ProSource sells and markets fresh onions for Golden West Produce LLC, Parma, Idaho; Rio Valley Onion LLC, Hatch, N.M.; and Winter Garden Produce LCC, Uvalde, Texas.
“We are very excited to join forces with ProSource and leverage the strengths of each of our organizations in offering a more complete solution to our customers,” Jason Allen, CEO of The Mart Group, said in the release. “With over 65 years of combined industry experience, we will be able to combine the strength and reputation that ProSource brings from the onion industry and Mart Produce brings from the potato industry to offer our customers year-round supply of each of these commodities.”
Mart Produce has been a foodservice and retail potato supplier for more than 35 years.
“Having conducted business with Mart Produce for many years and knowing the synergies between our ownership groups, the opportunity to partner with The Mart Group in this venture could not have been more timely,” Corey Griswold, chief operating officer of ProSource, said in the release.
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