Testa Produce joins FreshEdge

FreshEdge, a family of fresh food distribution companies, has acquired Testa Produce, a produce and specialty food company headquartered in Chicago.

“We welcome Peter Testa and his awesome team to the FreshEdge family of companies,” Steve Grinstead, CEO of FreshEdge, said in a news release. “Testa Produce will be a great addition to our expanding group of ‘best-in-class’ fresh food distribution companies.”

Terms of the deal, which closed on April 29, were not disclosed. The transaction strengthens the combined business’s presence in Chicago and enables continued expansion across the Midwest, the release said.

“We are thrilled for Testa to join FreshEdge,” Greg Corsaro, president and chief operating officer of FreshEdge, said in the release. “We look forward to working together with all of the great people at Testa to continue to provide unprecedented service to all FreshEdge customers.”

For more than 110 years, Testa Produce and the Testa family have been serving customers in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana by distributing fresh fruits and vegetables, including an array of fresh-cut offerings, dairy, meats, seafoods, specialty foods and more, according to the release.

Testa Produce is LEED Platinum Certified and operates out of a 91,300 square foot facility that features the most up-to-date green technologies to use energy generation and water conservation, the release said.

“Our Testa Produce team is excited to join the FreshEdge family,” Peter Testa, president of Testa Produce, said in the release. “We look forward to this new era of opportunity and growth for Testa.”

Bigger footprint

The acquisition enhances FreshEdge’s density in the Midwest and provides additional space and logistical support to better serve its customer base, according to the release. Testa Produce joins a growing family that includes Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Indianapolis Fruit, Get Fresh Produce, City Produce, McCartney Produce, Monteverde’s, Valley Produce, Vine Line, Garden Cut, Cibus Fresh and Papania’s.

Indianapolis-based FreshEdge operates 899,800 square feet of warehouse space across 26 facilities with a fleet of more than 920 trucks and more than 2,000 employees, according to the release.

FreshEdge is backed by Wind Point Partners, a Chicago-based private equity investment firm.

Testa Produce represents FreshEdge’s first acquisition since Wind Point’s initial investment, the release said. Together, Wind Point and FreshEdge intend to continue growing FreshEdge by welcoming more fresh food distribution companies into the group — all focused on high quality produce and specialty food products, along with exceptional service — to create a unique group of complementary entities, the release said.