Bowl of fresh fruit salad isolated on white background

Calavo Growers Sells Fresh Cut Produce Business to F&S Fresh Foods

Aug. 16, 2024

Sale of former Renaissance Food Group to New Jersey produce processor will allow Calavo to focus on avocado and guacamole businesses.

Andy Hanacek

Calavo Growers Inc. has completed the sale of its Fresh Cut business to F&S Fresh Foods of Vineland, N.J., for $83 million (subject to closing adjustments), according to a release from the Santa Paula, Calif.-based provider of fresh produce, including avocados, tomatoes, Hawaiian papayas, and fresh guacamole and salsa.

The Fresh Cut business is the former RFG (Renaissance Food Group) fresh cut fruits and vegetables business, which Calavo acquired in 2011, according to the company’s web site.

Lee Cole, president and CEO of Calavo Growers Inc., said the sale of the Fresh Cut business “will allow us to focus on our core avocado and guacamole businesses.”

According to its web site, F&S Fresh Foods distributes fresh-cut fruits, vegetables and meal solutions to retail, foodservice and industrial customers. The company produces more than 100 million pounds of produce annually in 650,000 sq. ft. of processing space. F&S Fresh Foods, Cole said, is one of Calavo’s “long-trusted co-packing partners.”

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.