GrubMarket says it has completed the acquisition of Nogales, Ariz.-based Delta Fresh Produce, a distributor specializing in tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, grapes, watermelons and various other fresh produce commodities sourced from Mexico.
Delta Fresh Produce manages a farming and distribution network across Mexico, including over 900 acres of open-field production, 1,400 acres of indoor production and packing facilities in Baja, Sonora, Sinaloa and central Mexico, according to a news release.
GrubMarket says strong, longstanding grower relationships allow Delta Fresh Produce to access thousands of additional acres of production throughout Mexico, enabling the company to supply customers year-round. Delta Fresh Produce’s customer base includes grocery retailers such as Walmart and Kroger; national restaurant chains such as Subway, Jack in the Box, In-N-Out Burger and Chipotle; and national distributors such as Sysco and AWG.
Established in 1928, Delta Fresh Produce is a multi-generational business success story, with Atanasio Panousopoulos now leading the company after taking over from his father, a produce industry pioneer in both the U.S. In his 30 years of experience with the business, Panousopoulos has grown Delta Fresh Produce’s U.S. operations to include a 156,000-square-foot warehouse in Nogales; an 80,000-square-foot facility in McAllen, Texas; and a 30,000-square-foot space in San Diego, while continuing to strengthen the company’s grower relationships, some of which have spanned decades of partnership, the release said.
With a proactive approach to food safety, Delta Fresh Produce says it maintains Primus GFS certification and has established rigorous standards for safety practices that go beyond regulatory requirements, including frequent random audits of its growing operations and distribution facilities. GrubMarket says the business will continue to be managed by its current leadership team, led by Panousopoulos, after the acquisition.
“Joining GrubMarket marks an exciting new chapter for Delta Fresh Produce,” Panousopoulos said in the release. “We are proud of our deep-rooted heritage and the operational excellence we’ve achieved through the generations. GrubMarket’s commitment to [artificial intelligence] technology and innovation aligns perfectly with our vision to further elevate our capabilities through integrating technology into our operations at scale, strengthening our customer relationships and driving future growth. We look forward to the incredible opportunities that lie ahead of us, as part of the GrubMarket family.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Delta Fresh Produce to the GrubMarket family,” said GrubMarket CEO Mike Xu. “Delta Fresh’s longstanding legacy in the produce industry in both the U.S. and Mexico, extensive grower and distribution networks and exceptional reputation for food safety make them an ideal partner for GrubMarket as we continue to expand our strategic presence across North America. This acquisition significantly enhances our capabilities to serve customers nationally with high-quality, reliable year-round produce.”
GrubMarket says, as part of its portfolio, Delta Fresh Produce will have access to GrubMarket’s proprietary, AI-powered software solutions, including WholesaleWare, a software-as-a-service enterprise resource planning platform that provides food industry wholesalers, distributors and shippers with seamless financial management, powerful sales support, online ordering, precise inventory management, lot traceability, grower accounting and automated routing and logistics; GrubAssist, GrubMarket’s groundbreaking suite of agentic enterprise AI assistants that empower food supply chain businesses with deep insights, intelligent analysis and automated order processing; Orders IO, GrubMarket’s custom-branded, mobile e-commerce solution; and GrubPay, the company’s digital payments platform specifically designed for the needs of the food supply chain industry.
