Snacking tomato icon and greenhouse-grown vegetable leader NatureSweet is changing hands.
Food and beverage venture capital firm Silver Venture recently announced the sale of San Antonio-based controlled environment agriculture company to the food and beverage-focused investment firm Blue Road Capital. This sale marks a new chapter for NatureSweet, which has been owned by Silver Ventures since its inception.
“We are excited to join the Blue Road Capital’s portfolio. As a leader in controlled environment agriculture, NatureSweet is looking forward to collaborating and expanding our scope with a firm that has extensive expertise in natural foods and agricultural markets,” Rodolfo Spielmann, president and CEO of NatureSweet, said in a statement.
Blue Road will help amplify NatureSweet’s purpose of transforming the lives of agricultural workers in North America, Spielmann added.
Founded in 1990, NatureSweet is best known for its top-selling branded snacking tomatoes, as well as its burgeoning greenhouse-grown peppers and cucumbers categories, according to the release. Additionally, under the stewardship of Silver Ventures, the greenhouse grower’s commitment to improving agricultural standards drove the company to become the largest CEA company to date to achieve three comprehensive social responsibility and environmental certifications: fair trade certification, Equitable Food Initiative certification and B Corp certification, according to the release.
Related news: NatureSweet achieves B Corp certification
“NatureSweet was built on a vision of agricultural workers ‘who look up,’” Kit Goldsbury, chairman of Silver Ventures, said in the release. “Everyone is proud to have been a part of our associates’ journey to not only transform their own lives but also to be a force in the transformation of the entire industry.”
Capitalizing on brand strength to expand footprint
An independent firm specializing in vertically integrated food and agriculture business, Blue Road Capital acquired NatureSweet to capitalize on what it sees as the strength of NatureSweet’s brand and accelerate growth potential through vertical integration, innovation and expanding distribution channels, according to a news release.
“We are confident in Blue Road’s ability to lead NatureSweet into a promising future,” Bryant Ambelang, CEO of Silver Ventures and former executive chairman of NatureSweet, said in the release. “They understand the value of this company lies in its people and are committed to the principles of growing the best-tasting produce through transforming the lives of agricultural workers.”
NatureSweet is transitioning into capable and caring hands, Ambelang said.
Related news: NatureSweet restructures sales team
