April 29, 2021

By Lynda Kiernan, Global AgInvesting Media

Paine Schwartz-backed Prima Wawona, the largest grower and marketer of conventional and organic peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots in the world, announced its plans to expand its acreage by 2,600 acres. 

Further cementing the company’s standing as the top grower, the new acreage will be committed to growing stone fruit, and will bring the company’s total planted acreage to 15,000 acres, equating to 1 million additional stone fruit trees.

“As industry leaders, this investment represents an ongoing commitment to the growth and development of the Stone Fruit category and will help us achieve our long-term objectives. It will allow Prima Wawona to expand its ability to grow, harvest, pack and ship the healthiest, most delicious, highest quality Stone Fruit,” said Eric Beringause, CEO, Prima Wawona.

Prima Wawona evolved into its current ideation in 2019 when sustainable food chain investor Paine Schwartz Partners (already an existing investor in Wawona Packing at the time) partnered with both Wawona and Gerawan Farming to facilitate a merger between the parties, resulting in the largest stone fruit producer in the world. 

“This merger represents a tremendous milestone and the type of growth opportunity that we can achieve by leveraging Paine Schwartz’s agribusiness sector expertise and close collaboration with family-owned businesses,” said Kevin Schwartz, CEO, Paine Schwartz at the time. “We look forward to this new chapter for two companies that have been incredibly successful on their own, and we believe they can achieve even greater success through this merger.”

Both third generation family-owned businesses located in the Central San Joaquin Valley, the deal brought together Fresno-based Gerawan, a pioneer in the stone fruit industry, including a best-in-class farming operation growing peaches, plums, and nectarines, harvesting and processing as many as 100,000 boxes of premium fruit per day. The company also has packing activities, and proprietary varieties that are marketed under the Prima® brand, with Cutler-based Wawona Packing, a supplier of high-quality stone fruit, and a leading supplier in the organic sector of the category. 

“We look forward to building our partner relationships with valued retail and wholesale customers across North America and around the world by providing additional product for their shoppers who acknowledge and appreciate Prima brands as the best Stone Fruit available,” said Kevin J. Kollock, chief commercial officer. “Additional Stone Fruit will also provide selling opportunities with new customers who may not have experience with our superior products.”

Reflecting how the company is working to achieve this growth, this 2,600-acre expansion is in addition to another approximately 1,000 acres that are being redeveloped and replanted with new trees each year as old trees expire out of production.

“This expansion is an exciting opportunity for our team, customers, and ultimately consumers,” said Mark Murai, senior vice president, Agricultural Operations. “We are the best in the industry in understanding what it takes to deliver the finest Stone Fruit available.”

“That commitment to excellence includes our extensive proprietary breeding program and development of new, innovative varieties in both conventional and organic fruit that this additional acreage will provide,” Murai continued, “as a company we are focused on sustainable farming practices and will be utilizing cutting-edge water management technology on all of our new and redevelopment acreage.”

– Lynda Kiernan is editor with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Oilseed & Grain News. She can be reached at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.