Organic produce company Earthbound Farm, which moved to San Juan Bautista from Watsonville in 1996, announced this week it has been sold to a new owner, Denver-based WhiteWave Foods Co.
Earthbound will be acquired for $600 million in cash from co-founders Drew and Myra Goodman, who started the organic company in Carmel Valley in 1984, according to a statement released on the sale. The San Juan company started selling salad greens in major food outlets in 1993. Earthbound Farm products are now sold in major grocery stores in the United States and around the world.
Earthbound Farm is considered the largest organic produce brand in North America and is famous for creating the first pre-washed packaged salads, including spring mix salads and other mixes. The company, which started in the Goodmans’ 2.5-acre backyard garden in 1984, now processes 2.5 million pounds of produce per week, which amounts to about 25 million servings of salad weekly.
“Earthbound Farm is an outstanding organization well-known for innovation, freshness, organic stewardship and food safety. It is a natural extension of our business that reaffirms WhiteWave’s leadership in the organic foods and beverages industry in North America,” said Gregg Engles, chairman and chief executive officer of WhiteWave, in a press release.
Co-Founder of Earthbound Farm Drew Goodman echoed those remarks.
“We both believe that WhiteWave continues to be a leader in improving how food is produced and will help Earthbound Farm achieve its original mission and reach its full potential. We’re excited for the future of Earthbound Farm and the opportunity to join the WhiteWave family,” said Goodman.
According to the statement, the new ownership will have little effect on the actual operations of its 25,000-square-foot operating facility in San Juan Bautista.
Earthbound is San Benito County’s largest employer, with a workforce of 1,200 employees, according to Samantha Cabaluna, the company’s spokeswoman. The acquisition should not affect current employment at the company and should not affect day-to-day operations at this time, she said in an e-mail Wednesday.
“I can’t imagine a better fit for Earthbound Farm than WhiteWave, bringing together two of the leading companies in the good food movement,” said Charles Sweat, the chief executive officer of Earthbound, in the statement. “Both companies have a heritage nurtured from small beginnings. And both companies believe in the importance of scaling the production of better food that makes for healthier people and a healthier planet.”
