GrubMarket acquires South Africa-based produce distributor

Food technology company GrubMarket has acquired South Africa-based fresh produce distributor Global Produce, which supplies fruits to 44 countries.

Global Produce sources and distributes fresh South African products to supermarkets, restaurants, retailers, wholesalers and online customers, according to a news release.

Known primarily for its year-round supply of grapes and citrus fruits, Global Produce sells other produce including apples, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, butternut squash, pears, mangos and bananas. It also carries exotic items such as Malaysian dragon fruit, Namibian Barhi dates and Belgian PiqaBoo pears.

The company connects local farmers directly to end markets by packing goods under its GEO brand, according to the release.

Global Produce was founded in 2013 by fresh fruit industry veteran Rutger Van Wulfen, who continues to run the business. Global Produce has offices in Cape Town, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and Ho Chi Minh City.

The current leadership team will continue to manager Global Produce after the acquisition, announced April 29, is finalized, according to the release.

“I’ve been following GrubMarket’s story for many years and am incredibly excited to join this successful, globally oriented company that approaches the food supply chain with a similar philosophy and work ethic,” Van Wulfen said in the release. “We are proud to represent GrubMarket in South Africa, and we look forward to expanding GrubMarket’s global reach and bringing more South African fruits to GrubMarket’s end customers.”

Founded in 2014, California-based GrubMarket is a privately held, AI-powered food tech company.

As a part of GrubMarket’s portfolio, Global Produce will utilize its WholesaleWare software suite, a software-as-a-service platform that provides food industry wholesalers and distributors with financial management, sales support, online ordering, inventory management, lot traceability, grower accounting, and automated routing and logistics. The company will also have access to GrubAssist, GrubMarket’s AI assistant that provides analysis for food supply chain businesses, and Orders IO, GrubMarket’s custom-branded, mobile eCommerce solution.

“The acquisition of Global Produce marks a pivotal moment in GrubMarket’s journey, as we continue expanding our physical presence internationally and ramping up our operations in South Africa,” Mike Xu, GrubMarket CEO, said in the release.