Frutura Produce has expanded its presence in Latin America by acquiring Colombia-based avocado business Montana Fruits.
Reedley, California-headquartered Frutura said in a statement the acquisition has “meaningfully strengthened” its avocado operations in a region that is a “vital” component of its global growth strategy.
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Family-run Montana sources avocados from local Colombian growers and is an existing supplier to the Frutura group.
Frutura’s avocado supply is also supported by its business units Dayka & Hackett in the US, Agrícola Don Ricardo in Peru, and Subsole in Chile.
CEO David Krause said: “We are actually ahead of plan with table grapes, citrus and berries. Avocados are our next big push.”
The Montana operations will be managed by Dayka & Hackett, which Frutura acquired in 2021 alongside Agrícola Don Ricardo.
Based in California’s Central Valley, Dayka & Hackett imports, distributes, and markets citrus, stone fruit, mangoes, and avocados, primarily serving US retailers.
According to Frutura, in recent years, “Colombia has exploded as a globally-significant avocado growing region”, with Montana experiencing consistent year-over-year growth.
Stephen Fink, VP of sales and marketing at Dayka & Hackett, called the deal the “last puzzle piece” for the company to become “truly vertically integrated in avocados”.
He said that Montana already has a strong customer base in Europe and Chile, while US market access for Colombian avocados presents a major opportunity that Dayka & Hackett can now “powerfully” explore.
The acquisition follows Frutura’s 2023 purchases of Sun Belle and Giddings Fruit, which expanded its presence in the berries category.
Four months ago, Frutura launched a new berry division, led by CEO JC Clinard, rebranding all its berry assets under the Sun Belle name, including operations in Mexico.
