Field tomato giant Lipman buys greenhouse company

Lipman Family Farms, which touts itself as North America’s largest grower of field tomatoes, has entered into an agreement to buy greenhouse grower Huron Produce.

Huron, based in Exeter, Ontario, has facilities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The acquisition allows Lipman, Immokalee, Fla., to be a year-round marketer of tomatoes, according to a news release.

“The Huron Produce acquisition is truly transformative,” Darren Micelle, chief operating officer of Lipman Family Farms, in the release. “We look forward to the opportunities resulting from the introduction of our proprietary varieties into the protected agriculture space.”

Huron markets tomatoes and other vegetables under the Suntastic label. Lipman’s signature tomato, the Crimson Queen, has color and lycopene attributes that are now standard in all Lipman tomatoes: round, roma, grape and heirlooms.

“The addition of Huron gives us extraordinary product depth, expands our collective capabilities and broadens our distribution footprint, allowing us to better serve our customers with a single, year-round solution for tomatoes and vegetables,” Micelle said in the release.

With the purchase, Lipman plans to expand with new facilities in Canada, Nebraska, another Denver location and a warehouse in McAllen, Texas.

Jeff Kints, president of Huron Produce, a multi-generational family owned grower, said the deal will expand the company’s offerings as well, and that the two companies have the same values and background as family owned.

“You’d never know Lipman is as big as they are,” Kints said in the release. “They work more like a small, agile company with a focus on people.”

The deal is expected to close in April.