Deal expands FreshEdge’s presence in the Midwest
FreshEdge, a family of fresh food distribution companies backed by Wind Point Partners, has acquired Testa Produce, a produce and specialty food company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
For more than 110 years, Testa Produce and the Testa family have been serving customers in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, distributing fresh fruits and vegetables, including an array of fresh-cut offerings, dairy, meats, seafoods and specialty foods.
Testa Produce is LEED Platinum Certified and operates out of a state-of-the-art, 91,300-square-foot facility that features the most up to date green technologies to utilize energy generation and water conservation.
The acquisition enhances FreshEdge’s density in the Midwest and provides additional space and logistical support to better serve its customer base. Testa Produce joins a growing family that includes Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Indianapolis Fruit, Get Fresh Produce, City Produce, McCartney Produce, Monteverde’s, Valley Produce, Vine Line, Garden Cut, CIBUS Fresh and Papania’s.
FreshEdge operates 899,800 square feet of warehouse space across 26 facilities with a fleet of more than 920 trucks and more than 2,000 employees.
“We welcome Peter Testa and his awesome team to the FreshEdge family of companies,” said Steve Grinstead, CEO of FreshEdge. “Testa Produce will be a great addition to our expanding group of ‘best-in-class’ fresh food distribution companies.”
“We are thrilled for Testa to join FreshEdge,” said Greg Corsaro, president and COO of FreshEdge. “We look forward to working together with all of the great people at Testa to continue to provide unprecedented service to all FreshEdge customers.”
Terms of the deal, which closed on April 29, were not disclosed. The transaction strengthens the combined business’s presence in Chicago and enables continued expansion across the Midwest.
“Our Testa Produce team is excited to join the FreshEdge family,” said Peter Testa, president of Testa Produce. “We look forward to this new era of opportunity and growth for Testa.”
FreshEdge is backed by Wind Point Partners, a Chicago-based private equity investment firm. Testa Produce represents FreshEdge’s first acquisition since Wind Point’s initial investment. Together, Wind Point and FreshEdge intend to continue growing FreshEdge by welcoming more fresh food distribution companies into the group – all focused on quality produce and specialty food products, along with exceptional service – to create a unique group of complementary entities.
FreshEdge was formed in 2019 through the combination of Get Fresh Produce (founded 1982), Indianapolis Fruit (founded 1947) and Piazza Produce (founded 1970). McCartney Produce (Paris, Tennessee) joined FreshEdge in November 2020, followed by Valley Produce (Knoxville, Tennessee) in June 2021, Vine Line (Grand Rapids, Michigan) in October 2021, Monteverde’s (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in November 2021, and CityProduce (Fort Walton Beach, Florida) in May 2022.
FreshEdge includes a collection of Garden Cut branded fresh-cut processing facilities (Bartlett, Fort Walton Beach, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh); a tomato re-packer; a USDA fresh kitchen (CIBUS Fresh); and two transportation companies. FreshEdge’s footprint spans 21 states throughout the Midwest and southeastern United States.
