Harrison Co. Advises Delano Farms Company on its sale to Sun Pacific

Transaction Announcement Agriculture and Ag-Tech

Harrison Co. Advises Delano Farms Company on its sale to Sun Pacific

March 25, 2022 5 min read

Fresno, CA, December 23, 2021 – Harrison Co., an investment banking firm dedicated to advising family-owned and founder-run businesses in the food and agriculture industries, today announced it advised Delano Farms Company (“Delano” or the “Company”) one of North America’s leading table grape grower-packer-shippers on its sale to Sun Pacific.
 
Founded in 1992, Delano is a vertically integrated table grape producer with over 4,600 acres of both young and established vineyards in some of the most water-secure, highly demanded farmland in the San Joaquin Valley. The Company grows and markets a wide range of popular conventional and organic table grape varieties and holds exclusive rights to produce and sell the Pristine, a top-rated variety in North America.  The Company’s robust cold storage and packing capabilities, premium table grape varieties, and high-touch sales approach have allowed Delano to develop strong, longstanding client relationships with some of the world’s largest retailers and distributors.
 
“Based upon our research and experience, Harrison Co.’s knowledge of the ag industry is unique in the investment banking profession,” said Rick Middleton, CEO of Delano Farms. “They are very well connected in the ag community and understand the important issues in our business, such as water, labor, and the competitive landscape. Bill, Nancy and the entire Harrison Co. team were great to work with, and their commitment to our company and hours of dedication went above and beyond.”
 
“It was an honor to represent such a distinguished company in the ag industry,” said Nancy Ervin, Partner at Harrison Co. “Delano’s senior management team is top-notch. Their pride in Delano Farms was evident the minute you stepped onto the property. Combined with a highly demanded proprietary variety, the Pristine green seedless, we believe the Company is well positioned to be a long-term leader in the table grape industry.”
 

ABOUT DELANO FARMS

Delano Farms was founded by Anderson & Middleton, a Washington based lumber company.  In the 1960’s, Anderson & Middleton purchased and operated the Grays Harbor Veneer Company dedicated to the production of wood boxes for the table grape and tree fruit industries. With exposure to table grape operations in California’s Central Valley, Anderson & Middleton purchased its first table grape vineyards in Delano, CA in 1992. While other growers were focused on producing and exporting Red Globe grapes and selling other varieties through wholesale distributors, Delano Farms established its legacy by growing and marketing what would become the highly profitable and demanded Crimson variety directly to major domestic retailers. It later partnered with Four Star Fruit to develop and market the Pristine® grape, a large, crispy green seedless grape that was bred to retain freshness and firmness for extended periods following harvest.
 

ABOUT SUN PACIFIC 

Sun Pacific began in 1969 when CEO, Berne Evans, purchased 72 acres of orange groves in the San Joaquin Valley, and today grows, packs and ships over 35 million cartons of fresh fruit. It is  the number one kiwi grower, largest grower-shipper of clementines (sold under the Cuties® brand) and navels, second largest tomato grower and a significant grower-shipper of table grapes in the United States.
 

ABOUT HARRISON CO.

Harrison Co is a consumer-focused investment banking firm and unapologetic advocate for family-owned businesses. It works exclusively with owners and operators across the entire spectrum of the healthy lifestyle space, from farming to food to fitness.  Harrison’s team of experienced senior financial experts help clients make critical strategic business, mergers and acquisitions, and financing decisions to ensure optimal outcomes. Harrison prides itself on providing highly personal, customized service to our valued clients from its offices located in Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Fresno, and Los Angeles.
 
For more information visit www.harrisonco.com.

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