Specialty produce company Frieda's Inc. sold to Legacy Farms LLC

Departing Frieda’s Branded Produce CEO Karen Caplan recently announced in a letter that the Los Alamitos, Calif.-based company’s assets have been sold to Legacy Farms LLC, a produce grower-shipper and distributor based in Anaheim, Calif.

The founding family of the business will hold roles at Frieda’s LLC and advise the new executive team, led by incoming CEO Dan Madsen.

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Caplan shared the news of the company transition in a personal letter to the produce industry:

To our industry friends,

Today is a very exciting one for our company.  Our 61-year-old family business has been acquired by another fantastic, thriving produce company and we will now be growing together.

After more than a year of discussions, Legacy Farms LLC, based in Anaheim, California has acquired the assets of Frieda’s, Inc.  We will now be known as Frieda’s LLC and our new CEO is Dan Madsen.  Dan has been a friend for many years and has been leading Legacy Farms since 2019.

We are so excited that his first order of business was to name my eldest daughter, Alex Jackson as vice president of sales and procurement!  As you know, Alex is the third generation of our family business, founded by our mother, Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan in 1962.  Alex has been a significant part of our company’s success during the last 12 years, and she is very excited about this new, expanded opportunity.

Legacy Farms really values Frieda’s strong culture and branding and is excited to be the new steward of the first and best-selling brand of specialty produce in the US.  We can’t help but brag that Frieda’s brand has a 30% faster velocity than the next leading brand.

My sister, Jackie Caplan Wiggins and I will continue working in an advisory capacity to Dan and the Frieda’s team and are beyond thrilled at the opportunities for our company to expand. Our company color will still be purple, our branded packaging will continue to be eye-catching, and our team members will continue to service you with our well known passion and attention to detail. Our current sales and purchasing team will continue to work with you as normal in the course of business.

We thank you for your many years of support and produce love and look forward to a bright and growing future.  Please feel free to reach out to any of us with any questions you may have. 

Karen Caplan