KANSAS CITY, KS – December 2, 2022 – Liberty Fruit Co., Inc. BB #:105664 a Kansas City, KS-based produce wholesaler founded in 1965, has been acquired by Russ Davis Wholesale, Inc. BB #:100699, Wadena, MN.
Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Now part of Russ Davis’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), Liberty will continue to operate independently and will be led by its existing leadership team.
According to Liberty CEO John McClelland, the opportunity to become 100% employee-owned was the driving force behind the merger.
“The Caviar family has owned Liberty for all of its nearly 60 years,” McClelland said. “Not many owners, regardless of industry, get to leave this kind of legacy for their employees.”
Adam Gamble, President and CEO of RDW, cited the companies’ shared vision and values as a primary catalyst.
“The Liberty team relates to their employees and customers the same way we do,” he said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to bring programs from both companies to a larger area with the confidence that customers will be very satisfied due to the shared focus on service and quality.”
The two companies have worked together for several years to service Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) military bases throughout the Midwest. Through that process, operational and geographic synergies were discovered that made a potential merger intriguing.
“Our primary growth vehicle in recent years has been wholesale and retail, and RDW—particularly with their substantial manufacturing capabilities—gives us the opportunity to expand this business significantly,” said McClelland, “and our distribution footprints couldn’t be more complementary.”
About Russ Davis Wholesale
RDW was started by the Davis family over 65 years ago and has been employee-owned since 1991. It operates five distribution centers and three manufacturing facilities across the upper Midwest and into the eastern Rockies. The company currently serves wholesale and retail customers in 12 states. With the addition of Liberty, the combined entity will expand distribution to Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, bringing its total reach to 16 states.
About Liberty Fruit Company
Liberty Fruit Company is a produce wholesaler and distributor based in Kansas City, KS. Founded in 1965, the company operates a 160,000 square-foot, SQF-certified distribution and processing facility that is home to more than 250 team members. Combined with a full-line commodity program, Liberty Fruit offers extensive repack services and made-to-order fresh-cut products for retail and food service customers in seven states throughout the Midwest.
Contact:
Pat Miller
Chief Marketing Officer
Russ Davis Wholesale
pmiller@russdaviswholesale.com
