Mastronardi adds Utah to locally grown network

Kingsville, Ontario-based Mastronardi Produce has announced the addition of Longvine Growing Co. to its U.S. network.

Sunset products will now be grown in a 28-acre greenhouse in Mona, Utah owned by Equilibrium Capital, according to a news release.

The high-tech lit facility will be operated by The Utah Greenhouse Company, the release said. Utah becomes the eighth local producing state in the Mastronardi Produce USA network, which now reaches two-thirds of the American population in same- or next-day delivery of fresh and flavorful Sunset produce, according to the release.

“As a market leader, we have a strong following of consumers who seek our flavorful Sunset products,” Paul Mastronardi, president and CEO of Mastronardi Produce, said in the release. “The western market has been a strategic focus for us more recently, and with this agreement, we are excited to bring even more locally-grown, premium produce to that region.”

The greenhouse site offers the possibility to expand by almost double its current size, driving the company closer to its goal of increasing its US acreage by an additional 1,500 acres in five years, the release said.

“We are pleased to expand our partnership with Mastronardi Produce, the produce category leader in controlled environment agriculture and marketing,” Dave Chen, CEO of Equilibrium Capital, said in the release.

“Our Utah greenhouse facility is in the hands of a world-class organization. I would also like to recognize the hard work and dedication of the Longvine team.”

Mastronardi Produce said in the release it will continue to explore opportunities for growth.