Mastronardi Produce--parent company of Sunset fruits and vegetables--has sold its 187,392-square-foot dry and cold storage warehouse facility in Laredo, Texas, to BH Properties in a short-term sale leaseback transaction. The 132-door cross dock facility is the first asset in Laredo for BH Properties, a real estate investment firm which has approximately 20% of its 10 million-square-foot commercial and industrial real estate portfolio in Texas.

Caribé Juice, maker of cold-pressed, HPP'd Caribbean fruit and veggie juices, has acquired WTRMLN WTR, maker of watermelon juice sourced from "ugly fruit", typically discarded by the food industry. 

Crave Better Foods, makers of Chipwich ice cream cookie sandwiches, is pleased to announce the merger of the SOLERO organic fruit bar business from Iris Brands into its operations. The merged businesses will operate out of Crave Better Foods' home base of Connecticut. The transaction will create a partnership between Crave Better Foods and Josh Hochschuler and Steve Gill, the founders of Iris Brands and Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto. The terms of the combination are not being disclosed.

Fresh From Texas, a San Antonio-based business, has acquired the manufacturing plant of CeCe’s Veggie Co., located in Austin, Texas. The purchase of the manufacturing facility increases Fresh From Texas’ production capacity enabling continued expansion into new avenues for growth in the refrigerated, premium product lines of high-quality, hand-crafted plant-based meal solutions.  As part of the agreement, Fresh From Texas will continue to produce the CeCe’s varieties of spiralized vegetables in the Austin facility. 

GeeFree Foods, a leading frozen food innovator in the gluten-free industry has been acquired by premier New Jersey food manufacturer, The Fillo Factory, Inc.

Nestlé announced it has acquired Freshly, one of the leading fresh-prepared meal delivery services in the U.S. The deal values Freshly at $950 million, with potential earnouts up to $550 million contingent to the successful growth of the business. This transaction was signed and closed on October 30, 2020. Founded in 2015, Freshly delivers a menu of fresh, chef-cooked meals to customers across the country, breaking down the barriers to healthy eating by delivering nutrition and convenience at scale.

Lactalis Group has entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition by its U.S. affiliate of Kraft Heinz’s Natural, Grated, Cultured and Specialty cheese businesses in the U.S., Grated cheese business in Canada and entire International Cheese business outside North America. With this acquisition, Lactalis will acquire a portfolio of iconic, strongly-positioned brands that include Cracker Barrel, Breakstone’s, Knudsen, Polly-O, Athenos, Hoffman’s and, outside the U.S. and Canada only, Cheez Whiz. In addition, Kraft Heinz will partner with Lactalis on a perpetual license for Kraft in Natural, Grated and International cheeses and Velveeta in Natural and International cheeses.

Litehouse announced that it has acquired Veggiecraft Farms. Known for bringing plant-based pasta to the masses, Veggiecraft Farms specializes in providing vegetable-based versions of beloved foods, without sacrificing taste or texture. Veggiecraft’s plant-based pastas are crafted in Italy using cauliflower flour, lentil flour, and pea flour.

Hitchcock Farms of Salinas, California, a premier and innovative grower/shipper has acquired Pfyffer Associates, a grower, packer and shipper of premium Brussels sprouts in Santa Cruz, California. Pfyffer has been a leading supplier of Brussels sprouts for over 45 years with their well-known Ernie’s Pride and Pfyffer labels.

Lineage Logistics, (“Lineage” or the “Company”), has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ontario Refrigerated Services, Inc. (“ORS”), a leading family-operated cold storage company offering temperature-controlled space in the Greater Toronto market, marking Lineage’s entrance into the Canadian market. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.