Key Takeaways
- Alpine Fresh has made a significant investment in abbGrowers B.V., a Netherlands-based year-round blueberry supplier, initiating a merger that broadens Alpine Fresh's global fresh produce footprint.
- abbGrowers, founded in 1998 and based in Horst, Netherlands, operates as a full-service supply chain platform managing cultivation planning, harvest scheduling, quality monitoring, sorting, packaging, and traceable cold-chain transport.
- The combined entity will be led by co-CEOs Fred Douven, founder of abbGrowers, and Stefan Spanjaard of Alpine Fresh, leveraging sourcing networks across three continents.
- Alpine Fresh, founded in 1988 in Miami, Florida, has grown from two employees to more than 4,000 globally and operates across blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, asparagus, French beans, Brussels sprouts, and fresh-cut tropical fruits.
- The merger is designed to create a multi-berry platform with year-round supply capability built on combined global scale, local grower relationships, and advanced quality control.
Alpine Fresh Invests in abbGrowers to Extend Year-Round Blueberry Supply Network
Florida-based fresh produce company Alpine Fresh has initiated a merger with abbGrowers B.V., a European blueberry supplier headquartered in Horst, Netherlands, through a significant investment that brings the two businesses together under shared leadership. The transaction strengthens Alpine Fresh's position across global fresh produce supply chains, adding abbGrowers' year-round sourcing platform to its existing operation spanning farms, packing sheds, and grower partnerships across Latin America and beyond.
abbGrowers has operated since 1998 as a full-service blueberry supply platform, coordinating growers across different seasons and climate zones from cultivation planning and harvest scheduling through quality monitoring, size and firmness sorting, retail and food service packaging, and traceable cooled transport. The company has built a reputation as one of Europe's more established blueberry suppliers with a presence in retail, wholesale, and food service channels.
“By combining abbGrowers' strong global sourcing network with Alpine Fresh's extensive distribution capabilities and market expertise, we are uniquely positioned to provide a consistent, high-quality product offering year-round,” said Alpine Fresh in announcing the partnership.
Co-CEO Structure Preserves Operational Identity on Both Sides
The merged entity will operate under co-CEOs Fred Douven, who founded abbGrowers, and Stefan Spanjaard of Alpine Fresh. The structure is designed to retain the grower relationships and operational culture abbGrowers has built while adding Alpine Fresh's scale, variety access, and distribution reach across three continents.
“Alpine Fresh brings scale, new varieties, and a bigger stage for our farms and customers,” said Douven. “The quality and service our customers know from us isn't going anywhere.”
“abbGrowers has built something special — real relationships, real operational capability,” said Walter Yager, CEO of Alpine Fresh. “We're here to add to that, not change it. Our operations complement each other extremely well.”
Alpine Fresh's Background and Multi-Crop Portfolio
Alpine Fresh was founded in 1988 by Jose Sanchez and Walter Yager with a goal of connecting Latin American growers with US consumers. The Miami-headquartered company has since grown to more than 4,000 employees globally, with a product portfolio spanning blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, asparagus, French beans, Brussels sprouts, fresh-cut mango, and fresh-cut pineapple.
