North Bay Produce

What North Bay Produce does

North Bay Produce, Inc. is a private, grower-owned cooperative headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, that markets and distributes fresh fruits and vegetables to retailers, wholesalers, and food service distributors across North America, Europe, and Asia. The cooperative is owned by more than 30 grower-owners from North, Central, and South America, and traces its origin to 1984 as Wilderness Fresh Produce, a division of parent company Cherry Central Cooperative, Inc., before being formally incorporated as North Bay Produce, Inc. in 1991 with its Latin American partners. The company operates year-round (365-day) supply through farms and offices positioned in both hemispheres, supported by owned cold-storage warehouse facilities in Miami, Florida (since 1995, relocated in 2001) and Mascoutah, Illinois at the MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, plus international offices in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, China, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala.

The core product portfolio is a 12-SKU fresh-produce range covering apples (more than 15 premium varieties), asparagus, blackberries, blueberries, Brussels sprouts, cherries, cranberries, French beans, raspberries, snow peas, strawberries, and sugar snap peas, with additional seasonal items such as figs and butternut squash. The product page explicitly names enterprise retail customers including Walmart, Kroger, Aldi, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Meijer, Safeway, Sprouts, Hy-Vee, Schnucks, and SpartanNash. The company is sales-led (24/7 sales representatives from the corporate office) and is differentiated by its cooperative structure, hemispheric farm network, and a comprehensive third-party-audited food-safety and sustainability stack (GFSI, GLOBALG.A.P., GRASP, SPRING, LEAF Marque, SMETA, FDA FSMA, HACCP).

Revenue is generated through B2B marketing and distribution of fresh produce, with pricing negotiated individually with retail, wholesale, and food service accounts (not publicly disclosed). Distribution runs through direct sales to retail grocery chains, wholesale distributors, and food service operators globally. The company maintains an organic consumer-facing presence (website recipe content, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter) and participates in industry organizations including the International Fresh Produce Association, the Center for Produce Safety, the International Association for Food Protection, and GLOBALG.A.P. Ownership is held by member growers rather than outside investors; no venture capital, private equity, or institutional investor signals are present.

Name

North Bay Produce

Legal name

North Bay Produce, Inc.

Website

https://northbayproduce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

North Bay Produce is a Traverse City, Michigan-based grower-owned cooperative of 30+ farmers across the Americas that markets and distributes a 12-SKU fresh-produce portfolio year-round to retailers, wholesalers, and food service distributors across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fresh Produce Distribution (CRAOABAB)

Keywords

• Fresh produce distribution
• Grower-owned cooperative
• Year-round produce supply
• Berries and stone fruit
• Wholesale fresh fruits

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: Revenue is generated through the marketing and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables produced by grower-owners. Products include apples, asparagus, berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries), cherries, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, French beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas. The company operates as a cooperative, with products sold to retailers, wholesalers, and food service distributors across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Bay Produce is a grower-owned cooperative of more than 30 member growers from North, Central, and South America that markets and distributes fresh fruits and vegetables year-round to retailers, wholesalers, and food service distributors worldwide. The product portfolio spans apples, asparagus, berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), Brussels sprouts, cherries, cranberries, French beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas, with hemispheric sourcing enabling continuous 365-day supply.

Product overview

North Bay Produce is a farmer-owned cooperative of more than 30 grower-owners from North, Central, and South America, marketing and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. The company's product portfolio consists of a diverse range of produce categories that work together to provide 365-day supply: core commodities include apples, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and snow & sugar snap peas, supplemented by seasonal items such as asparagus, cranberries, figs, and butternut squash. Headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, with global offices across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, the company distributes products worldwide to retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apples Fresh apples grown by family growers across Michigan, featuring more than 15 premium varieties including Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and McIntosh. Hand-picked at peak ripeness for crisp texture, vibrant color, and naturally sweet flavor. Sold to retailers, wholesalers, and food service distributors.
• Asparagus Michigan-grown asparagus available in Organic Green, Conventional Green, and Conventional Purple varieties. Grown in the rich soils of Michigan, delivering crisp texture and vibrant taste for grilling, roasting, sautéing, or adding to omelets. Sold to retailers, wholesalers, and food service distributors.
• Blackberries Sweet and juicy blackberries grown by dedicated growers across North and South America. Available in both conventional and organic varieties, harvested at peak ripeness for perfect balance of sweetness and juiciness. Sold to retailers, wholesalers, and food service distributors.
• Blueberries
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cherries
• Cranberries
• French Beans
• Raspberries
• Snow Peas
• Strawberries
• Sugar Snap Peas

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Bay Produce actively participates with IFPA as a member organization. The company has publicly endorsed the IFPA Ethical Charter for Responsible Labor Practices, which provides guiding values, principles and a framework for coordinated action across the fresh produce industry.
• Center for Produce Safety (CPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Bay Produce is a member of CPS and regularly sponsors the annual Center for Produce Safety Research Symposium, demonstrating commitment to implementing science-based food safety practices and staying informed of cutting-edge research for the industry.
• International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Bay Produce is a member of IAFP, participating in industry collaboration to strengthen food safety partnerships, share knowledge, and advance best practices across the fresh produce supply chain.
• GLOBALG.A.P.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Bay Produce is a Community Member of GLOBALG.A.P., supporting the advancement of food safety standards and sustainable agricultural practices globally.
• SedexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Bay Produce participates in the Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA), a third-party audit covering four pillars of Health & Safety, Labor, Environment and Business Ethics for comprehensive sustainability review.
• LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Bay Produce growers practice LEAF Marque sustainable farming certification, which focuses on environmental stewardship and biodiversity conservation.
• Berry Sustainable InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Bay Produce is committed to sustainable packaging and participates in the Berry Sustainable Initiative, collaborating with academia, stakeholders and customers on sustainable packaging solutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wonderful Company (The): The Wonderful Company owns POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, and Wonderful Halos mandarins, and operates as a vertically integrated grower-marketer of fresh produce. Comparable as a large-scale vertically integrated grower-marketer supplying major US retailers.
• Dole plc: Dole plc (formed via Total Produce / Dole merger) is a global fresh-produce grower-marketer with diversified categories including berries, bananas, and vegetables. Comparable as a broad incumbent in fresh-produce distribution to retail and foodservice customers.
• Taylor Farms: Taylor Farms is one of the largest producers of fresh-cut salads, vegetables, and meal kits in North America, supplying retail grocery and foodservice. Comparable as a large-scale fresh-produce supplier to the same major US grocery and foodservice customers.
• Fresh Del Monte Produce: Fresh Del Monte Produce is a large publicly-traded producer, distributor, and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables worldwide. While much larger and broader in scope (tropical, bananas, prepared), it overlaps with North Bay Produce on the fresh-produce wholesale and direct-retail distribution model.
• Bonduelle Group: Bonduelle is a global producer of fresh and processed vegetables (canned, frozen, fresh-cut) supplying retail and foodservice in Europe and North America. Comparable as a multi-region fresh-and-processed produce supplier to retail channels.

Direct peers

• Naturalia | Naturipe Farms: Naturipe Farms is a grower-owned cooperative marketing fresh berries (blue, straw, rasp, black) to US retailers. It shares the cooperative structure, multi-region grower base, and berry-focused portfolio with North Bay Produce's berry program.
• Driscoll's: Driscoll's is a global grower-owned marketer of fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) with a comparable year-round multi-region sourcing model and retailer-direct go-to-market. Like North Bay Produce, Driscoll's relies on a global independent-grower network to deliver consistent fresh berries to the same major US grocers.
• Ocean Spray Cranberries: Ocean Spray is a US grower-owned cooperative marketing cranberries and other fresh/frozen fruit to retailers and foodservice. Highly comparable cooperative structure and grower-owned fresh-produce marketing model to North Bay Produce.
• Wish Farms: Wish Farms is a US-based grower and shipper of fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) supplying retail grocery chains. Comparable as a berry-focused grower-shipper serving the same North American retail customers.

Emerging players

• Crunchies Natural Food Company: Crunchies Natural Food Company manufactures freeze-dried fruit and vegetable snacks sourced from fresh produce. Adjacent to North Bay's grower base and partially overlapping in cranberry/berry sourcing channels, though it operates in the value-added processed-snack subcategory rather than fresh distribution.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/northbayproduce
• Facebookfacebook.com/northbayproduce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-bay-produce-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/northbayproduce/?hl=en

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 North Bay Produce