Deal strengthens Frutura’s avocado positioning in Latin American
Global produce platform Frutura has acquired Montana Fruits, a family-run packer/shipper/marketer of Colombian avocados.
Montana Fruits, which will be managed by Frutura’s Dayka & Hackett, already sources fruit for Frutura companies, so the deal strengthens the existing relationships between the parties. It also bolsters Frutura’s Latin American footprint which it said is vital to its international strategy.
“We have a proven formula when we make an acquisition,” said David Krause, Frutura’s CEO. “We work with in-country management to add value and optimise their enterprise. Then we drive growth by facilitating collaboration between the companies in our platform.
“And lastly, which is the case with the Montana deal, we see what needs to be added to Frutura supply so a priority crop such as avocados can become a 365-day-a-year asset to our customers. We’re actually ahead of plan with table grapes, citrus and berries. Avocados are our next big push.”
Frutura’s avocado business is built on the foundation of Dayka & Hackett in the US, Agrícola don Ricardo (Peru) and Subsole’s (Chile) avocado acreage. In 2022, Frutura signaled its bullish intent around avocados by hiring respected sector leader Stephen Fink to drive that effort.
“The Montana investment is that last puzzle piece we needed to be where I want us to be, which is truly vertically integrated in avocados,” said Fink, Dayka & Hackett’s VP of sales and marketing.
“Montana already has a strong customer base in Europe and Chile. The opening of the US to Colombian avocados became a huge advantage to our domestic customers and that’s something Dayka & Hackett can powerfully explore with Montana now part of the Frutura family. Adding Montana’s capabilities will allow us to continue to aggressively ramp up and scale as our growing avocado operation necessitates.”
Colombia has become a globally-significant avocado growing region in recent years and Montana has enjoyed year-over-year growth. Fink said he intends to further magnify that progress by increasing volume.
Commenting on the uncertainty surrounding President Trump’s tariff agenda, Frutura said: “Frutura’s international platform was designed to facilitate pivots should issues arise around weather, distribution, civil unrest or government action, which includes tariffs.
“Frutura is a close-knit family of companies. While the form tariffs take long-term may evolve, the company’s multi-geography platform well-positions Frutura to continue to serve customers as they deserve to be served, whatever the situation”.
