Kent Shoemaker, CEO of Lipman Produce, joins AndNowUKnow to discuss his company’s recent acquisition of Combs Produce, the opportunities he sees with the expanded family and Lipman’s goals for the remainder of 2012.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Combs Produce is a lot like other re-packers; their customers want to be aligned with a farmer,” states Shoemaker. “Everybody wants to know who their farmer is these days. In the case of the Combs customers, we believe that giving them ‘access to the acre’. They’re able to let their customers be involved all the way back to the farming operation. It should help us to continue to grow our business.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“When we’re looking for companies to partner with, cultural and leadership are the two biggest factors that we consider first,” continues Shoemaker. “In the case of the Combs team, they really were a primary target for us because they built a great reputation in the five state area where they distribute, and they run a business the way we believe a business should be run.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Shoemaker adds “There’s a lot of product that has been in the market, especially with the increased supply from Mexico. As an industry, we’re looking to build confidence with retailers and foodservice operators so that they’ll put more fresh, healthy, flavorful tomatoes on their menus and increase demand.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
