Frutura, a Reedley, Calif.-based global sales and marketing platform for premium fruit, has acquired Colombia-headquartered Montana Fruits, a packer-shipper-marketer of avocados sourced from growers throughout Colombia, according to a news release. Frutura’s Dayka & Hackett will manage the newly acquired company.
The family-run Montana Fruits already sources fruit for Frutura companies, the release said.
Frutura says the acquisition not only solidifies strong existing relationships, it also strengthens its Latin America footprint — a vital component to the company’s international strategy.
“We have a proven formula when we make an acquisition,” said Frutura CEO David Krause. “We work with in-country management to add value and optimize their enterprise. Then we drive growth by facilitating collaboration between the companies in our platform. And lastly, which is the case with the Montana deal, we see what needs to be added to Frutura supply so a priority crop such as avocados can become a 365-day-a-year asset to our customers.
“We’re actually ahead of plan with table grapes, citrus and berries,” Krause continued. “Avocados are our next big push.”
Frutura says its “bench strength in avocados” is built on the avocado acreage of U.S.-based Dayka & Hackett, Agrícola don Ricardo in Peru and Subsole in Chile.
IFrutura says it “signaled its bullish intent around avocados” in 2022 by hiring Stephen Fink to drive the effort.
“The Montana investment is that last puzzle piece we needed to be where I want us to be, which is truly vertically integrated in avocados,” said Fink, Dayka & Hackett’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Montana already has a strong customer base in Europe and Chile. The opening of the U.S. to Colombian avocados became a huge advantage to our domestic customers and that’s something Dayka & Hackett can powerfully explore with Montana now part of the Frutura family. Adding Montana’s capabilities will allow us to continue to aggressively ramp up and scale as our growing avocado operation necessitates.”
Colombia has “exploded” as a globally significant avocado growing region in recent years and Montana has enjoyed year-over-year growth, the release said. Fink says he intends to further magnify that progress by increasing volume.
Frutura says its international platform was designed to facilitate pivots should issues arise around weather, distribution, civil unrest or government action, which includes tariffs. The company says that while the situation with tariffs continues to evolve, its multi-geography platform positions Frutura to continue to serve customers.
