Dive Brief:
- Taylor Farms is making a strategic investment in Hessing Supervers, a fruits and vegetables company based in the Netherlands.
- The partnership will pave the way for the companies to develop "fresh food innovations and capitalize on new opportunities in Europe together," Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, said in a statement.
- Hessing will continue to be majority shareholder, allowing it to operate as a family business. No financial terms were disclosed.
Dive Insight:
Taylor Farms, one of the largest producers of ready-to-eat salad in North America, is looking to expand and improve its operations after struggling with food recall issues this year.
In October, the company’s yellow slivered onions used as ingredients on McDonald’s burgers were likely the source of an E.coli outbreak that sickened more than 100 people across the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration. One person died in Colorado and four people developed a potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication.
This month, Taylor voluntarily recalled bags of sweet kale sold at grocery stores across Canada.
Both Hessing and Taylor have similar businesses that provide fresh fruits and vegetables, which have been cut, washed and packaged, to restaurants and supermarkets in Europe and North America, respectively.
"By combining our respective knowledge and expertise, we can accelerate the development of fresh food innovations and capitalize on new opportunities in Europe together,” Taylor said in a statement.
Hessing, founded in 1968, has state-of-the-art fruit and vegetable operations in the Netherlands and Germany that serve customers in those countries as well as Belgium and Denmark. Frank Hessing, CEO of Hessing, said the collaboration will lean into innovation and automation in a rapidly changing market.
“With the expertise of Taylor Farms, we can confidently build towards a healthy and sustainable future while expanding our reach,” Hessing said in a statement. “Together, we can better support our customers in their demand for healthy, fresh products.”