By Gerelyn Terzo, Global AgInvesting Media
A new fund has launched with its sights set on transforming the way fresh produce gets from field to table through innovative post-harvest cold chain and tech-driven investments. PHT Investment Group has launched PHT Growth Fund, a $500 million investment vehicle dedicated to modernizing the fresh post-harvest produce supply chain. As its inaugural private investment vehicle, PHT is looking to appeal to high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional investors looking to gain exposure to essential food infrastructure and sustainability alongside impact-driven returns, with a minimum commitment of $2 million.
Nearly one-third of the world’s food never makes it from farm to table, lost to spoilage caused by issues such as aging infrastructure and inefficiencies in the post-harvest chain. PHT Investment Group is positioning its new fund to tackle that challenge, with a focus on modernizing and scaling the systems that move fresh produce across the U.S.
The fund strategy is to acquire and scale critical cold chain assets, including pre-cooling systems, cold storage facilities, distribution networks, material handling, automation and third-party logistics platforms. The fund has an emphasis on enabling technologies like IoT and AI-driven optimization to prolong product shelf life, slash food waste, which currently claims nearly one-third of global food production due to inadequate handling, and improve supply chain efficiency in key U.S. growing regions, border crossings and logistics hubs.
PHT Founder and CEO Jim White, PhD, stated, “Our inaugural fund is more than an investment vehicle—it is a platform to reduce food waste, modernize infrastructure, and generate lasting value for both investors and communities.”
Planned investments will be concentrated in key produce corridors such as Salinas, California, Yuma, Arizona, Pharr, Texas, Savannah, Georgia, and Nogales Arizona, regions that anchor North America’s fruit and vegetable trade and serve as critical gateways for imports and export. PHT is offering special terms for anchor investors who commit $50 million-$100 million at first close. Benefits include a reduced management fee of 1.25 percent (compared with the standard 2 percent), lowered carry of 12.5 percent, priority co-investment rights and a seat on the LP Advisory Committee.
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