Peterson Farms

What Peterson Farms does

Peterson Farms, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned fruit processing company headquartered in Shelby, Michigan, founded in 1984 by Earl and Linda Peterson to commercialize tart cherry production from their Oceana County farm. Today, under CEO Aaron Peterson, the company processes four core commodities — apples, tart cherries, sweet cherries, and blueberries — across six SQF-certified facilities totaling more than 2.0 million square feet, producing over 150 million finished pounds of frozen fruit and 7 million gallons of single-strength juice, cider, and concentrate annually.

The company operates a vertically integrated model spanning raw fruit sourcing, IQF and fresh-cut processing, juice concentration, sauce production, aseptic bottling, controlled-atmosphere and freezer storage, and in-house temperature-controlled trucking (via JVC Enterprises). Its proprietary Cherry Technologies subsidiary holds patent rights on electronic pit detection developed in 1989. The product portfolio serves six verticals — K-12 schools, healthcare (including the Vizient FX0030 GPO contract), industrial ingredient buyers, foodservice operators, breweries and cideries, and retail grocery — through dedicated regional sales representatives covering all U.S. states, supplemented by USDA commodity programs and direct-to-consumer e-commerce for branded lines (Lakewood Organic, Antioxidant Solutions, Renew Juice, Peterson Farms Treats, Cool Tropics, HC Plus, and Prize Slice).

Revenue is generated primarily through B2B bulk ingredient sales (IQF fruit, purees, juice concentrates) under standard 30-day payment terms governed by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, plus branded consumer product sales through retail grocery and brand websites. Since 2020, growth has been driven by an aggressive acquisition strategy that has added Lakewood Organic (2020), Fresh Innovations California (2022), JVC Enterprises (2022), King Brands/HC Plus (2024), Cool Tropics (2025), and Country Pure Foods (2025), expanding the company from a regional Michigan processor into a multi-brand, multi-facility national fruit and beverage platform.

Name

Peterson Farms

Legal name

Peterson Farms, Inc.

Website

https://petersonfarmsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Peterson Farms is a privately held, family-owned fruit processor headquartered in Shelby, Michigan, that produces IQF fruits, fresh-cut apples, juices, and sauces from apples, tart cherries, sweet cherries, and blueberries for K-12 schools, healthcare, foodservice, industrial ingredient buyers, breweries and cideries, and retail grocery customers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fruit Processing

NAICS

Specialty Canning (311422)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable Processing (IQF, Frozen Blends) (AFAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Juices & Juice Blends (Cold-Pressed, NFC, From Concentrate) (AFAKAFAB), Dried Fruit & Fruit Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAL)

Keywords

• Fruit processing
• Frozen fruit products
• Fresh-cut apples
• Juice concentrates
• IQF fruits

Headquarters

HQ city

Shelby

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Bulk Fruit and Ingredient Sales: Sales of frozen fruits (IQF), purees, juice concentrates, and purees to foodservice, industrial, and institutional buyers. Products sold in bulk formats (drums, pails, totes) for use in manufacturing and food service operations.
2. Branded Consumer Products: Sale of branded juice and food products through retail grocery including Lakewood Organic Juices, Renew Juice Company, Antioxidant Solutions, Peterson Farms Treats, and Cool Tropics brands sold to consumers.
3. Private Label Manufacturing: Contract manufacturing and private label production for retail and foodservice customers seeking branded fruit products under their own labels.
4. K-12 School Nutrition Programs: Supply of applesauce cups, apple slices, and juice cups to K-12 schools through USDA commodity programs and commercial sales, meeting federal meal guidelines.
5. Healthcare Foodservice: Supply of fresh-cut apple slices, applesauce, and juice cups to healthcare facilities including hospitals, assisted living, and patient feeding operations through contracts such as Vizient.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Peterson Farms processes and markets fruit products (apples, blueberries, sweet cherries, tart cherries) across multiple formats including individually quick frozen (IQF) fruit, fresh-cut apple slices, juice concentrates, purees, applesauce, and shelf-stable juice cups. The company serves B2B markets (K-12 schools, healthcare, foodservice, industrial ingredients, breweries/cideries) and also distributes branded consumer juices (Lakewood Organic, Antioxidant Solutions, Renew, Cool Tropics) through retail grocery and brand websites.

Product overview

Peterson Farms is a premier fruit processing company offering a diverse portfolio of fruit products across multiple formats and brands. The core operation processes four main commodities: apples, blueberries, sweet cherries, and tart cherries, available as IQF, purée, concentrate, fresh slices, and juice. The company operates under several sub-brands including Peterson Farms Treats (ready-to-eat apple slices, juice cups, and applesauce for K-12 and healthcare), Lakewood Organic (premium organic and biodynamic juices in glass bottles), Antioxidant Solutions (NFC tart cherry and blueberry juices), Renew Juice Company (pure and organic juices with clean-label transparency), and Cool Tropics (shelf-stable 100% juice products for schools). Products are distributed across retail grocery, K-12 schools, healthcare, foodservice, breweries/cideries, and industrial ingredients markets. The company has expanded through strategic acquisitions including Lakewood Organics (2020), Fresh Innovations California (2022), JVC Enterprises (2022), King Brands (2024), and Cool Tropics (2025).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lakewood Organic: Certified organic and premium fresh-pressed juices including biodynamic, pure, and organic fruit and vegetable juices in glass bottles
• Antioxidant Solutions
• Renew Juice Company
• Peterson Farms Treats
• Cool Tropics
• HC Plus
• Lakewood Littles
• Prize Slice
• Orchard Originals

Products and services

• Peterson Farms Core Fruit Products Core fruit processing operations producing and selling quality fruit products including apples, blueberries, sweet cherries, and tart cherries in multiple formats (IQF, purée, concentrate, fresh slices, and juice) to foodservice, industrial, institutional, and retail customers.
• Lakewood Organic Juices Premium organic and biodynamic fresh-pressed juices in glass bottles, including organic citrus, berries, cherries, tropical fruits, root vegetables, and grape juices. Certified organic, non-GMO, preservative-free, and not from concentrate.
• Antioxidant Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• 46% reduction in water usage intensity from 2018 to 2023 (exceeding 30% target)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Country Pure Foods (acquired)coreOthers · 2 December 2025Acquisition of Country Pure Foods by Peterson Brands, LLC, a leading provider of high-quality fruit and vegetable beverages.
• Cool Tropics (acquired)coreOthers · 2 April 2025Acquisition of Tropical Paradise DBA Cool Tropics, a provider of fun, shelf-stable 100% juice cups, juice pouches, and freeze-and-squeeze slush pouches for K-12 schools.
• King Brands / HC Plus (acquired)coreOthers · 1 August 2024Acquisition of King Brands, LLC supplying shelf-stable juices in aseptic liter boxes and cups/pouches to healthcare, schools, military, airlines, cruise lines, and food service industries.
• JVC Enterprises (acquired)coreOthers · 15 December 2022Acquisition of JVC Enterprises, Inc. in Byron Center, MI, a temperature-controlled trucking company utilizing latest transportation technology including reefer monitoring equipment.
• Fresh Innovations California (acquired)coreOthers · 5 December 2022Acquisition of Fresh Innovations California, LLC in Stockton, CA, specializing in organic and conventional fresh-cut apple slices under Prize Slice brand. Enables West Coast K-12 distribution.
• Lakewood Organic Juice (acquired)coreOthers · 20 January 2020Acquisition of Lakewood Organic Juice, a producer of pure organic and premium fruit juices located in Miami, Florida, established over 85 years. Expands Peterson Farms into premium fruit juice market.
• Shelby Public Schools (Oceana County Early Learning Center)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with Shelby Public Schools to convert a church into the Oceana County Early Learning Center, offering discounted childcare for Peterson Farms associates.
• TerraCyclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeterson Farms partners with TerraCycle to provide an easy recycling outlet for Peterson Farms Treats applesauce pouches, supporting the company's sustainability initiatives and commitment to reducing carbon footprint.
• Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (Supplier LOCT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeterson Farms participates in the Supplier LOCT collaborative program, completing educational platform and data reporting for greenhouse gas emissions and achieving GHG Scope 1, 2, and 3 Footprint badge.
• Healthier GenerationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to promote healthier food options in schools through the Healthier Generation initiative, supporting K-12 market distribution.
• Real Rewards CafeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRewards program partnership for K-12 school nutrition programs.
• K12 Food ServicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for K-12 food service program distribution and marketing.
• Cool School CafeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for school nutrition program distribution.
• FoodbuycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProcurement partnership for education sector purchasing through Foodbuy.
• MarkoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCooperative produce purchasing partnership for foodservice operators.
• VizientcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealthcare GPO contract FX0030 for distribution of HC Plus juice products to healthcare facilities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tree Top Inc. Cooperative apple processor producing apple juice, sauce, and IQF fruit ingredients serving foodservice, K-12, and retail; one of Peterson Farms' closest direct competitors in IQF apple processing and school foodservice supply.
• Knouse Foods Cooperative: Producer of Lucky Leaf and Musselman's applesauce, apple juice, and fruit products for retail and foodservice; comparable in applesauce cup, juice cup, and shelf-stable fruit offerings to Peterson Farms' K-12 and healthcare institutional lines.
• Seneca Foods Corporation: One of the largest North American fruit and vegetable processors, producing canned, frozen, and packaged fruit products for retail and foodservice; competes directly with Peterson Farms across IQF fruit, canned/frozen fruit, and private label categories.
• Shoreline Fruit: Michigan-based grower and processor of cherries, blueberries, and other fruits including IQF, dried, and concentrate formats; one of the closest geographic and product competitors in tart cherries and IQF fruit.
• Cherry Central Cooperative: Michigan-based tart cherry and fruit cooperative supplying IQF fruit, concentrates, and dried fruit to foodservice and industrial buyers; directly comparable to Peterson Farms in tart cherry processing and bulk fruit ingredients.

Broad incumbents

• Mott's (Keurig Dr Pepper): Iconic apple juice and applesauce brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper; competes with Peterson Farms' Lakewood, Renew, and HC Plus brands in retail juice and applesauce, but at much larger scale across a broader beverage portfolio.
• Welch's: National grape and fruit juice brand with a broad retail and foodservice presence; overlaps with Peterson Farms' multi-serve and single-serve juice categories, particularly in K-12 and healthcare channels.
• The Kraft Heinz Company: Major CPG manufacturer with significant fruit-based product exposure (jams, jellies, juice, sauces); competes indirectly with Peterson Farms through private label, branded juice, and ingredient supply, but at vastly larger scale across many categories.
• Fresh Del Monte Produce: Vertically integrated producer, distributor, and marketer of fresh and value-added fruit products including fresh-cut, juice, and processed fruit; comparable business model in fresh-cut and value-added fruit but with global operations and broader fresh produce exposure.
• Smucker's (The J.M. Smucker Co.): Owner of Smucker's jams, jellies, and fruit spreads, plus RW Knudsen and Santa Cruz organic juice brands; competes with Peterson Farms' branded organic and clean-label juice portfolio and provides a public-market benchmark for branded fruit beverage economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/petersonfarmsinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peterson-farms-inc

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Peterson Farms