GrubMarket has acquired Brothers Produce, one of the largest foodservice distributors in Texas and the broader Southwestern U.S.
Founded as a small family business in the 1980s by fresh produce veteran and current CEO Martin Erenwert, Brothers Produce is a full-service food distribution and wholesale business with warehouse facilities in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio, totaling more than 250,000 square feet in space. The facilities feature monitored, temperature-controlled cold storage, freezer storage and dry storage.
Brothers Produce operates three distribution centers in Texas that allow it to serve a full line of fresh fruits and vegetables, specialty goods and processed items to more than 6,000 foodservice, education, restaurant, grocery and retail customers across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. The scale and efficiency of Brothers Produce’s distribution operation enable it to ship more than 10 million cases of food every year.
Brothers Produce also benefits from its logistics capabilities, which include a fleet of more than 200 vehicles spanning refrigerated trucks, vans and trailers designed to preserve product freshness during transit.
After the acquisition, the business will continue to be managed by its current leadership team led by Erenwert and his son, Brent, who runs the Houston division.
[RELATED: GrubMarket Acquires Parsemony To Boost Supply Chain Software Offerings]
“Over 40 years ago, I had a dream to build a reputable produce business founded on the principles of taking exceptional care of the customers and hard-working employees who helped us achieve our success,” Erenwert said.
“Today, Brothers Produce is one of the most powerful brands in the fresh produce industry, and we are thrilled to join GrubMarket to take our business to the next level. Mike and his team clearly understand our vision, and GrubMarket is one of the fastest-growing, most recognized food companies in the entire country. I feel great knowing that being a part of GrubMarket will allow us to preserve our brand and history while creating a new growth path through vertical integration and technological innovation.”
CEO Mike Xu of GrubMarket added, “Brothers Produce has a sterling reputation in the Texas fresh produce ecosystem, and it is simply incredible how the business grew from a single van operation over 40 years ago to a multi-generational family business doing hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales today. Martin, Brent and the outstanding team at Brothers Produce have truly built a strong and impactful fresh produce business, and we respect their focus on delivering stellar customer service as well as their strong commitment to food safety standards throughout their operations.
“Brothers Produce is also involved in several local charitable initiatives, which aligns with GrubMarket’s commitment to use our success to support environmental and social causes that we care deeply about and promote agricultural sustainability across the country. This acquisition enables GrubMarket to further strengthen our presence across Texas and the Southwestern U.S. We are excited to welcome the Brothers Produce team to the GrubMarket family.”
