Van Drunen Farms takes majority stake in SouthAm freeze-dried fruit supplier
SouthAm, a freeze-dried fruit supplier to many global CPG companies, was founded in Chile in 2004, and its leading markets today are Chile, the United States, Mexico and Korea.
The company sources all of its raw materials from the Americas, and the freeze-dried powders are produced in the company’s Chilean facility, where it currently has a 270,000 metric ton capacity for finished products.
Kevin Van Drunen, Co-Owner and President of Van Drunen Farms, and Board Member of SouthAm, commented: “This partnership will better position both SouthAm and Van Drunen Farms, offering unique and substantial benefits for our customers. It is exciting to see our global platform expanded with a partner that shares our long term vision to be a global leader in freeze-dry ingredients and has a truly international reach.”
Food, functional food, and dietary supplements
The investment in SouthAm gives Van Drunen Farms, including its dietary supplement arm FutureCeuticals, a “competitive advantage for South and Central American fruits in the food, functional food, and supplement spaces, as well as continues SouthAm’s innovation, which is focused on the development of native herbal, fruit, and vegetable ingredients”, said the company in a press release.
Mangos, maqui, acai, and other fruit native to South and Central America will now be further integrated into the Van Drunen Farms/FutureCeuticals supply chain.
“We started in 2004 with a mission to create a world-class business to showcase Chile’s unique capacity for premium quality manufacturing and food products. With that initial goal achieved, we are now ready to partner with Van Drunen Farms to bring this message and these products to the world,” said Boris Hirmas Said, founder and Chairman of the Board of SouthAm
“What is truly unique about this partnership, and something that is very important to us at Van Drunen Farms, is that both SouthAm and Van Drunen Farms are family owned companies,” remarked Jeff Van Drunen, Co-Owner of Van Drunen Farms, President of FutureCeuticals, and Vice Chairman of the Board of SouthAm.
“Once all of the due diligence and pro forma is complete, it’s these kinds of intangibles that transform a project from a fine idea that makes good financial sense into something intrinsically great for everyone involved. Culture and values matter to us, and SouthAm aligns perfectly with who we are as people, a family, and as a corporate entity.”
Cassel Salpeter & Co., served as exclusive financial advisor to SouthAm.
