Juicy merger will aid $25M produce biz

Sunfresh Produce, one of the largest locally-based produce supply companies in the region, has merged with a company in Fort Myers.

Englewood-based Sunfresh, according to a statement, will now share warehouse space with Fort Myers-based Happy Foods of Southwest Florida. Happy Foods, the release adds, is a major supplier of resorts, country clubs and restaurants in Lee and Collier counties.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Sunfresh is now the leading regional produce supplier between Tampa and Naples. The merger, Sunfresh owner Steve Clark says in the release, “gives us the purchasing power to help keep our prices down, and allows us to compete more effectively for some of the chain restaurants that we couldn't get before.”

The deal was also a good match for both companies: Sunfresh's recently renovated and modernized warehouse in Charlotte County was operating at less than 100% capacity, while Happy Foods needed more space.

“Everything around it makes so much sense,” says Happy Foods owner Terry Dean, who will stay on to oversee operations at Sunfresh. “We're taking the best of his company and the best of mine, and customer service is going to get even better.”

Clark bought Sunfresh four years ago, and annual revenues have since grown from $8 million to $25 million.