Russ Davis Wholesale acquires Liberty Fruit Co.

Kansas City, Kan.-based Liberty Fruit Co. Inc., has been acquired by Russ Davis Wholesale Inc., Wadena, Minn.

Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Russ Davis Wholesale was started by the Davis family over 65 years ago and has been employee-owned since 1991, according to a news release. Serving wholesale and retail customers in 12 states, the company operates five distribution centers and three manufacturing facilities across the upper Midwest and into the eastern Rockies. The company currently serves wholesale and retail customers in 12 states. With the addition of Liberty Fruit, the combined entity will expand distribution to Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas, bringing its total reach to 16 states, the release said.

Liberty Fruit, a produce wholesaler founded in 1965, operates a 160,000-square-foot, SQF-certified distribution and processing facility that is home to more than 250 team members, the release said.   Combined with a full-line commodity program, Liberty Fruit offers extensive repack services and made-to-order fresh-cut products for retail and food service customers in seven states throughout the Midwest, according to the release.

Coming together 

Liberty Fruit is now part of Russ Davis’ Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and will continue to operate independently and will be led by its existing leadership team, according to a news release.
The opportunity to become 100% employee-owned was the driving force behind the merger, Liberty CEO John McClelland said in the release.

“The Caviar family has owned Liberty for all of its nearly 60 years,” he said. “Not many owners, regardless of industry, get to leave this kind of legacy for their employees.”

Adam Gamble, president and CEO of Russ Davis Wholesale, cited the companies’ shared vision and values as a primary catalyst. 

“The Liberty team relates to their employees and customers the same way we do,” Gamble said in the release. “We’re excited about the opportunity to bring programs from both companies to a larger area with the confidence that customers will be very satisfied due to the shared focus on service and quality.”

The two companies have worked together for several years to service Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) military bases throughout the Midwest, the release said. Through that process, operational and geographic synergies were discovered that made a potential merger intriguing.

“Our primary growth vehicle in recent years has been wholesale and retail, and RDW—particularly with their substantial manufacturing capabilities—gives us the opportunity to expand this business significantly,” McClelland said in the release, “and our distribution footprints couldn’t be more complementary.”