Sundance and A&W merge strawberry operations
Sundance and A&W merge strawberry operations
Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce in San Diego and Sundance Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA, have announced a merger of their strawberry operations.
The merger was made "with an eye on expanding year-round availability of strawberries to better serve retailers and foodservice operators," according to an Oct. 18 press release from A&W.
Sundance, which was founded in 2003, operates berry farms in three California growing districts: Oxnard, Santa Maria and Watsonville.
Andrew & Williamson, established in 1986, farms berries in Baja California, Mexico. Both companies have previously done their own marketing.
Under the merger, A&W will handle sales and Sundance will oversee the strawberry farming in Baja and in California, according to A&W sources.
A&W is also a year-round supplier of vine-ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, with farming and packing operations in Baja and in Sinaloa, Mexico.
The merger combines Andrew & Williamson's winter Baja, Mexico, berry program with Sundance Berry Farms California berry program, resulting in stronger supplies of strawberries year-round, the press release stated.
The key goal of this merger was to combine the resources of both of our companies to better serve our customers, said Sundance Berry Farms President Ernie Farley. By combining our companies resources, we have created one stronger berry company with the ability to supply our customers with consistent year-round supplies of berries.
This merger makes so much sense, said Fred Williamson, president of Andrew & Williamson. It is a terrific example of synergy. The combination of two progressive companies has resulted in a berry company that is stronger and better equipped to serve our customers and excel in the marketplace than the two original companies [separately].
The two companies share similar philosophies, Mr. Williamson said. We are both customer-driven, and this merger responds to our customer needs for a year-round supply and increased efficiency.
The merger was made "with an eye on expanding year-round availability of strawberries to better serve retailers and foodservice operators," according to an Oct. 18 press release from A&W.
Sundance, which was founded in 2003, operates berry farms in three California growing districts: Oxnard, Santa Maria and Watsonville.
Andrew & Williamson, established in 1986, farms berries in Baja California, Mexico. Both companies have previously done their own marketing.
Under the merger, A&W will handle sales and Sundance will oversee the strawberry farming in Baja and in California, according to A&W sources.
A&W is also a year-round supplier of vine-ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, with farming and packing operations in Baja and in Sinaloa, Mexico.
The merger combines Andrew & Williamson's winter Baja, Mexico, berry program with Sundance Berry Farms California berry program, resulting in stronger supplies of strawberries year-round, the press release stated.
The key goal of this merger was to combine the resources of both of our companies to better serve our customers, said Sundance Berry Farms President Ernie Farley. By combining our companies resources, we have created one stronger berry company with the ability to supply our customers with consistent year-round supplies of berries.
This merger makes so much sense, said Fred Williamson, president of Andrew & Williamson. It is a terrific example of synergy. The combination of two progressive companies has resulted in a berry company that is stronger and better equipped to serve our customers and excel in the marketplace than the two original companies [separately].
The two companies share similar philosophies, Mr. Williamson said. We are both customer-driven, and this merger responds to our customer needs for a year-round supply and increased efficiency.
