Verdant Partners adds industry veterans to bolster M&A activities in produce

Merger and acquisition advisory firm Verdant Partners LLC has added produce veterans Jason Fuller and Randy Riley to their team of advisors to further promote M&A services.

Riley and Fuller have over 55 years of experience within the produce industry, according to a news release. 

Fuller and Riley also own and operate the produce marketing consulting Golden Sun Insights, which has worked on projects covering a wide range of crops, including citrus, sweet corn, peaches, greens, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, onions, apples, and grapes, according to the release.

“We are excited for Randy and Jason to combine their expertise and knowledge of the produce sector with our knowledge of the M&A landscape,” Dean Cavey, managing partner of Verdant Partners, said in the release. “The produce space is fertile ground yielding an abundance of interest from financial and strategic investors alike. It is expected to be one of the most active segments for M&A in the food and ag space in the coming years.”

Fuller brings expertise and knowledge of the buy/sell process between grower and retailer, according to the release.

“Produce company owners are showing interest in an exit strategy for a variety of reasons and at the same time we are seeing an increase in demand from private equity as well as from other produce companies looking to acquire. We are seeing a lot of opportunities for investors,” Fuller said in the release.

Riley started his career as a produce clerk in the stores and graduated to other roles such as produce coordinator, produce buyer, promotional planner, category manager and director of produce.

“Our vast network of diverse companies enables us to facilitate closing the gap between supply and demand in the produce sector,” Riley said in the release.