Placentia-based Sunrise Growers Inc., a seller of fresh and frozen strawberries, has traded hands among private equity firms.
Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital Partners Inc. acquired Sunrise Growers for undisclosed terms from Heritage Partners Inc., another private equity firm based in Boston.
The deal closed last week.
Sunrise sells strawberries and related frozen products under its own brands, including Frozsun Foods.
It also sells to other companies that put their names on the products.
Sunrise says it has the largest share of frozen strawberries in the country. It also sells more than 7 million trays of fresh strawberries annually, ranking among the top six providers.
The company’s management is set to stay in place, Chief Executive Ed Haft told The Packer, an industry publication.
“Our previous owner, Heritage Partners, was not in a position to continue to support our growth,” he told the publication. “We were very fortunate to align with Sun Capital. The availability of funds will make it easier to execute initiatives, whether it be expanding our land base or adding new products.”
Sunrise is looking to improve its grower operations, yields and quality, Haft said.
