Mastronardi Produce Acquires Backyard Farms

Kingsville, ON and Madison, ME – Mastronardi Produce Ltd. (“Mastronardi” or the “Company”), North America’s leading grower and distributor of specialty and commodity greenhouse produce that operates under the SUNSET® brand, today announced that it has acquired Backyard Farms®, the leading grower of year-round greenhouse-grown tomatoes in New England. The Backyard Farms brand name will be retained and continue to represent high-quality locally grown produce, and greenhouse operations in Madison, Maine will continue uninterrupted, as they have over the past decade.

Together, Mastronardi and Backyard Farms will supply flavorful world-class, non-GMO verified tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to the top food retailers in North America. The combined company will be better positioned to serve the underrepresented Northeastern region of the United States, where retailers focus on meeting consumer demand for locally grown, fresh produce.

The addition of Backyard Farms will increase Mastronardi’s internal greenhouse network to six locations across North America, and will increase the combined company’s headcount to approximately 3,000 employees. In total, Mastronardi produces and delivers fresh, locally grown flavorful produce to retailers from more than 4,000 productive acres of growing capacity.

“We have long been impressed with Backyard Farms’ commitment to fresh, high-quality tomatoes,” said Paul Mastronardi, President and CEO and the fourth generation family member to lead Mastronardi Produce. “Backyard Farms not only is a growing, customer-focused tomato grower with a strong and well-known presence in the Northeastern United States, but it also shares the same community-centric ethos that drives Mastronardi. Being a family-operated business, we have long prioritized our local communities and a ‘fresh from the farm’ commitment to our customers that we believe are critically important to our success.”

Mr. Mastronardi continued, “With Backyard Farms’ complementary capabilities, loyal and passionate customer base, growing footprint and enthusiasm for premium, vine-ripe tomatoes, we are excited for what our future holds together. We look forward to working alongside Stuart Jablon and his talented team as we continue serving customers the great produce they have come to expect from the familiar SUNSET® and Backyard Farms brands.”

Founded 10 years ago, Backyard Farms operates two greenhouses totaling 42-acres in Madison, Maine, from which it produces and delivers delicious, fresh tomatoes to the Northeastern United States year-round. Backyard Farms’ high-quality produce – tomatoes on the vine, cocktail tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes – appears on the shelves of grocery stores from Maine to Maryland. Backyard Farms values freshness and quality, and is a strong advocate of supporting local communities.

“We are excited to be taking our business to its next level of operations,” said Stuart Jablon, who will continue to lead Backyard Farms, which is now an operating wholly-owned affiliate of Mastronardi. “Joining the Mastronardi team allows us to continue expanding our business to reach more customers while remaining committed to growing the freshest, best-tasting fruit possible and deepening our community relationships. We look forward to being a part of a market leader and making sure that customers continue to receive fresh and high-quality produce throughout every season.”

About Mastronardi Produce

Founded in the 1940s, Mastronardi Produce is a family-run business that is the largest vertically- integrated producer and distributor of greenhouse-grown produce in North America. The Company, whose produce is packed under the SUNSET® brand, sources, grows, packages, and distributes over 50 of the most flavorful, award-winning varieties of non-GMO verified greenhouse-grown tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and other non-GMO verified products (including organics) on a year-round basis. The Company’s nationally recognized specialty brands include the Campari®, Zima® Angel Sweet® and Kumato® tomatoes. Mastronardi’s proprietary rights to varietals, national distribution footprint, large grower network and industry-leading food safety and traceability programs have positioned the Company to be the produce supplier of choice for customers and end-consumers. For more information, please visit Mastronardi’s website at sunsetgrown.com.

About Backyard Farms

Located in Madison, Maine, Backyard Farms is committed to growing fresh, ripened-on-the-vine tomatoes year-round for consumers across the Northeast. All Backyard Farms tomatoes are non-GMO and are hydroponically grown in the company’s 42-acres of greenhouse, where they are left on the vine until fully ripe and then distributed locally in the Northeast. The company bases its business on the principles of growing the best tomatoes possible, taking care of its employees, giving back to local communities and treating the earth with respect. For more information about Backyard Farms please visit its website at backyardfarms.com.

Source: Mastronardi Produce