Kansas City, Kansas-based Liberty Fruit Co., a produce wholesaler founded in 1965, has been acquired by Russ Davis Wholesale. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
As a part of Russ Davis’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Liberty will continue to operate independently and be led by its present leadership team.
According to Liberty CEO John McClelland, the opportunity to become 100 percent employee-owned was the driving force behind the merger. “The Caviar family has owned Liberty for all of its nearly 60 years,” McClelland said. “Not many owners, regardless of industry, get to leave this kind of legacy for their employees.”
Adam Gamble, president and CEO of RDW, cited the companies’ shared vision and values as a primary catalyst. “The Liberty team relates to their employees and customers the same way we do,” he said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to bring programs from both companies to a larger area with the confidence that customers will be very satisfied due to the shared focus on service and quality.”
The two companies have worked together for several years to serve Defense Commissary Agency military bases throughout the Midwest.
“Our primary growth vehicle in recent years has been wholesale and retail, and RDW – particularly with their substantial manufacturing capabilities – gives us the opportunity to expand this business significantly,” McClelland said. “Our distribution footprints couldn’t be more complementary.”
RDW was started by the Davis family more than 65 years ago and has been employee-owned since 1991. It operates five distribution centers and three manufacturing facilities across the upper Midwest and into the eastern Rockies. The company serves wholesale and retail customers in 12 states. With the addition of Liberty, the combined entity will expand distribution to Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas, bringing its reach to 16 states.
Founded in 1965, Liberty Fruit Company operates a 160,000 square-foot, SQF-certified distribution and processing facility that is home to more than 250 team members. Combined with a full-line commodity program, Liberty Fruit offers extensive repack services and made-to-order fresh-cut products for retail and food service customers in seven states throughout the Midwest.
