SAN FRANCISCO — GrubMarket announced that it has completed the acquisition of Salisbury, North Carolina-based Performance Produce, a well-respected and vertically integrated fresh produce business that sells over 80 different items, sourced primarily from the U.S. and Mexico, to nearly 100 different retail customers across the Southeastern U.S., including leading global grocery chains. In addition to wholesale distribution, Performance Produce also provides comprehensive 4PL services, including inbound and outbound logistics, warehousing and cold storage, as well as packing and repacking solutions.
Performance Produce was founded in 2007 by JR Roach, a fresh produce veteran with almost 50 years of experience in the industry, alongside his wife Virginia. Together, JR and Virginia started the business from scratch with an empty warehouse, toiling for sixteen hours a day, seven days a week, driving forklifts, unloading trucks, and packing produce themselves. Today, Performance Produce employs dozens of employees and operates a cutting-edge Primus GFS-certified warehouse facility that spans 40,000 square feet in space, including 4 temperature-controlled coolers and several wrapping, labeling, bagging, and packing machines for their 4PL service offerings. Their state-of-the-art operations and extensive, diversified supplier base of over 100 local and regional farmers enable them to offer a dependable and consistent supply of specialty foods and core items, including onions, potatoes, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, and other assorted fruits and vegetables. Performance Produce’s reliability and attention to customer service have allowed it to achieve an impressive 99% fulfillment delivery rate, amongst the highest in the industry. After the acquisition, Performance Produce will continue to be managed by its current highly experienced and mission-driven leadership team, which includes Virginia’s son, Ernesto Mier.
“I started my career in the produce industry in 1977 and have experience working across every aspect of the business. My wife and I had always dreamed of running our own business, and we worked hard to build Performance Produce into the successful company you see today. Our outstanding reputation was not built overnight; it was our dedication to and consistent delivery of excellent customer service that allowed us to shine. This is evident in the large cohort of customers that has been with us for well over a decade. In this industry, I truly believe that nobody beats us at customer service. We are thrilled to join the GrubMarket team, which shares our service-oriented values and cares as much as we do about taking care of not only customers and suppliers, but also employees. The team members at GrubMarket feel like kindred spirits. We can’t wait to join this tight-knit family and leverage GrubMarket’s incredible technology ecosystem to bring more high-quality and farm-fresh produce to GrubMarket’s customers nationwide,” said JR Roach, owner of Performance Produce.
Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket, adds: “JR embodies the true spirit of an entrepreneur – he started Performance Produce from scratch with his wife Virginia and worked tirelessly around the clock in the warehouse to personally fulfill all of his customers’ needs. As a fellow entrepreneur, I can appreciate the hard work and dedication required to achieve unmatched success and the sterling reputation built on dependability and reliability that Performance Produce has maintained for the last 17 years. Several of their largest customers have been with them since their earliest years, which is a testament to their outstanding customer service and enviable delivery and fulfillment track record. With this acquisition, GrubMarket expands further into North Carolina and strengthens our strategic presence within the Southeastern U.S. We are beyond excited to welcome the Performance Produce team to the GrubMarket family.”
As a part of GrubMarket’s portfolio, Performance Produce will utilize GrubMarket’s innovative, AI-powered WholesaleWare software suite, the company’s software-as-a-service platform that provides food industry wholesalers and distributors with seamless financial management, powerful sales support, online ordering, precise inventory management, lot traceability, grower accounting, and automated routing and logistics, as well as Orders IO, GrubMarket’s custom branded, mobile eCommerce solution.
About GrubMarket
Founded in 2014, CA-based GrubMarket is an AI-powered technology enabler and digital transformer of the American food supply chain industry, as well as one of the largest private food tech companies in the U.S. As a first mover in the tech-enabled B2B food eCommerce space and a pioneer offering cutting-edge, AI-powered software-as-a-service solutions, GrubMarket uses AI-powered technology to fundamentally transform the American and global food supply chain. GrubMarket operates in all 50 U.S. States and has a global presence in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain, with plans to expand further across the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world.
