Lodi, CA-
By ANUK Staff
2.19.13
Stockton, California-based Farmington Fresh, a cherry, apple, and pear packer has moved its sales and marketing responsibilities to Rivermaid trading in Lodi, California. The new partnership, together with the stone fruit and grape volume added through its purchase of Wespak Sales and Enns Packing in 2012, represents an additional 2 million cartons for Rivermaid. The increased volume now places Rivermaid among California’s largest fresh cherry growers and marketers.
Bruce Hesse, Farmington Fresh General Manager said, "The deal made sense for a number of reasons. There has been a 30-plus -year friendship between the Rajkovich family, partners in Farmington Fresh, and Chiles Wilson and Brian Machado, the founding partners of Rivermaid Trading Company. So the long-term personal relationships helped the agreement form smoothly. More important is Rivermaid's experience in the cherry category. With Rivermaid having operations in the center of both major cherry-growing regions in the state, our growers will be best served under the new arrangement. Rivermaid's sales team will be opening new markets for us."
Ken Carter, Rivermaid's Chief Marketing Officer added, "The arrangement is significant in that we can now support our retail customers with ample supply of cherries from the South San Joaquin Valley. We will have excellent continuity from early to late season."
The agreement also contributes California apple and pear volume to Rivermaid’s sales and marketing portfolio.
Farmington’s facility in Stockton will provide packing for both organization. The cherry, pear, and apple packing lines will be use to process excess Rivermaid product.
