US firm Agro Merchants Group has acquired Rotterdam-based ADB Cool Company, a specialist in coldstorage and logistics, and a key player within the European fresh produce business.
Founded in January 2013, Agro Merchants itself owns and operates more than 170,000m2 of temperature-controlled warehouse and distribution space in the US, Austria, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands, backed by its financial partner Oaktree Capital Management.
ADB Cool Company, meanwhile, was established more than 80 years ago, originally to support cooling and storage of Westland grapes and lily bulbs.
Since then, ADB has achieved significant growth within the fruit sector and now offers temperate-controlled storage capacity of 160,000m3 and a range of services including repacking, quality inspections, ripening, flow packing, labelling and other value-adding services.
Announcing the deal, Agro Merchants Group said the addition of ADB would increase the range of solutions, commodity expertise and locations its own network was able to offer.
Plans are already in place to expand ADB’s 8,000m2 complex in the Westland.
Carlos Rodriguez, partner and president of Agro Merchants Europe, said ADB was a family business with strong values, great culture, and a focus on innovation.
“They recently implemented an automated grape cutting line,” he noted. “We share the same vision and are honored to have ADB as part of our team.”
Alex and Jacqueline de Bruijn will continue to manage all aspects of ADB’s operations, reinforcing AGRO’s own position in the Rotterdam area and working with its other European, US and South American operations.
Alex de Bruijn, managing director of ADB, stated: “We are proud to become part of the Agro Merchants family. Their global strategy will allow us to support our customers in multiple locations and provide valuable opportunities for our employees.”
