GrubMarket, a US-based food delivery group, has recently acquired South African fresh fruit exporters Global Produce in a deal with undisclosed financial details. Global Produce supplies fresh fruit to various sectors such as retail, foodservice, wholesalers, and e-commerce in 44 countries across Asia and the Middle East. They export a variety of products including South African bananas, apples, cherries, butternut squash, plums, as well as “exotic” products like Belgian PiqaBoo pears and Malaysian dragon fruit.
Headquartered in Cape Town, Global Produce has suppliers in South Africa, as well as in countries like Namibia, Morocco, Egypt, New Zealand, and Australia. GrubMarket’s CEO, Mike Xu, stated that this acquisition marks a pivotal moment for the company as they expand their international presence and operations in South Africa.
As part of the deal, Global Produce will now have access to GrubMarket’s AI-powered WholesaleWare software suite, offering financial management services, online ordering, sales support, inventory management, lot traceability, grower accounting tools, and automated route planning for logistics and distribution.
Global Produce founder, Rutger van Wolfen, expressed pride in representing GrubMarket in South Africa and looks forward to expanding the company’s global reach by bringing more South African fruits to GrubMarket’s customers. GrubMarket, based in San Francisco, serves the foodservice, retail, and public sectors globally through its network of wholesalers and distributors, reaching all 50 US states and countries like Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, India, and Spain.
In 2019, GrubMarket secured a $100m venture capital fund from Evolv Ventures, a fund operated by US food giant Kraft Heinz. Just Food has requested GrubMarket to confirm if Global Produce is its first acquisition in South Africa.
