Jun 25, 2008 9:47 AM

Four leading berry producers—MBG Marketing, a Michigan-based blueberry grower; Hortifrut S.A. (HF), a berry-growing corporation based in Santiago, Chile; Munger Brothers Farms (MB) in Delano CA; and Pan-American Berry Growers LLC (PBG) of Salem OR—have banded together to form Naturipe Foods LLC, a berry marketing company.

Headquartered in Olympia WA, the new company will leverage the brand strength of sister fresh-pack company Naturipe Farms and will constitute the largest grower-owned producer and marketer of berries in North America.

Naturipe Foods has been established to offer customers year-round access to berry products. It will annually grow, process, and source the largest market share of blueberries available in North America and will have reach in other berries, including blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

More than 1,000 grower-owners are in the organization, with locations that span the Western Hemisphere from Chile to Canada. These locations and growing seasons allow Naturipe Foods to offer berry products at their peak, year-round.