Lipman acquires produce company

IMMOKALEE — Tomato giant Lipman acquired The Produce Exchange, a produce grower and distributor with operations in Arizona, California and Washington. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are thrilled to welcome The Produce Exchange team to Lipman,” says Kent Shoemaker, CEO of Lipman, in a statement. “We are confident that their close-to-the-customer services, in addition to their West Coast supply in tomatoes and vegetables, will enhance Lipman's ability to create more success with our customers.”

Based in Immokalee, Lipman is the largest field-tomato grower in North America, providing year-round fresh produce through a network of research and development, farming, processing, repacking and procurement operations. The company has farms in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, California and Mexico totaling tens of thousands of acres.

With this acquisition, Lipman says it expands its geographic footprint and supply in both vegetables and tomatoes. The Produce Exchange is based in Livermore, Cal.

Sam Jones, Jr., will remain president of The Produce Exchange. “We look forward to using Lipman's national farming and repacking network to give our customers access to the acre,” Jones says in a statement.