Ciruli Brothers

What Ciruli Brothers does

Ciruli Brothers is a third-generation, family-owned grower and shipper of fresh fruits and vegetables founded in 1940 by Charlie Ciruli in Pueblo, Colorado, and now headquartered in southern Arizona (Tubac/Rio Rico). The company sources produce directly from growers across the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America, distributing a multi-commodity portfolio that includes five mango varieties (with its proprietary Champagne® brand as the flagship), bell peppers, cucumbers, hot peppers, melons, tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, and squash, in conventional, hothouse, and organic grades.

Operationally, the firm is anchored by more than 100,000 square feet of zone-controlled cold storage facilities near the international ports of entry in Nogales, Arizona, and Pharr/McAllen, Texas, with temperature-monitored transportation vehicles and national carrier partnerships enabling integrated cold-chain logistics to East and West Coast destinations. Subsidiaries include C&V, LLC (Nogales warehousing) and Grow Farms Texas (a 2013 joint venture with Horton Fruit Company) extending the Texas distribution footprint.

Revenue is generated B2B through wholesale produce sales to direct retail grocery chains, foodservice operators, and merchandising businesses, supplemented by fee-based warehousing, consolidation, repacking, specialty pack, quality inspection, and freight-forwarding services. Pricing is quote-based and undisclosed, reflecting negotiated B2B contracts. The business is led by third-generation brothers Chuck Ciruli III (CEO) and Chris Ciruli (COO), with Chuck Ciruli Jr. as Chairman; family ownership is preserved with no external investors or parent entity.

Name

Ciruli Brothers

Legal name

Ciruli Brothers, LLC

Website

https://cirulibrothers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Third-generation, family-owned produce grower and shipper sourcing fresh fruits and vegetables from the US, Mexico, and Latin America, distributing the proprietary Champagne® mango brand and a multi-commodity portfolio to retail grocery, foodservice, and merchandising customers via US-Mexico border cold-chain facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Distribution (CRAOABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE), Fresh Vegetable Wholesale (AFAIACAB), Fresh Cut / Value-Added Produce Wholesale (Pre-Cut, Packaged, Salad Kits) (AFAIACAD)

Keywords

• Fresh produce distribution
• Mango grower shipper
• Cold chain logistics
• Wholesale produce supply
• Produce warehousing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tubac

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: Ciruli Brothers generates revenue through the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables, sourced directly from growers in the US, Mexico, Central and South America. Products include mangos (Champagne®, Haden, Tommy Atkins, Kent, Keitt), bell peppers, cucumbers, hot peppers, melons, tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, squash, and hardshell squash. The company serves direct retail, foodservice, and merchandising businesses with year-round crop production capabilities. The company also provides ancillary services including on-site quality inspections, consolidation, repacking, specialty packs, splits/foodservice packs, and logistics (LTL/straight loads).
2. Warehousing & Cold Storage Services: Over 100,000 square feet of state-of-the-art cooling facilities near the US/Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona and McAllen, Texas. Services include consolidation, repacking, in-and-out, product inspection, and cold storage. Contact us for warehousing service inquiries.
3. Freight-Forwarding & Logistics: Integrated supply chain services covering East and West coast destinations. The company partners with leading carriers and can use customer trucks or company trucks to deliver produce. Services include LTL and straight load logistics.
4. Procurement Services: The procurement department handles conventional, hothouse, and organic products from a network of reputable shippers. The company consolidates customer orders in one location and offers one-stop shopping for produce needs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ciruli Brothers grows, sources, and ships fresh fruits and vegetables — notably its proprietary Champagne® mango brand and other mango varieties, bell peppers, cucumbers, hot peppers, melons, tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, and squash — to retail grocery chains, foodservice operators, and merchandising businesses. The company complements its produce supply with integrated cold-chain services including over 100,000 square feet of zone-controlled warehousing, temperature-monitored freight forwarding, consolidation and repacking, on-site quality inspection, and procurement services that provide one-stop shopping for conventional, hothouse, and organic produce.

Product overview

Ciruli Brothers is a third-generation produce distribution company offering a portfolio of fresh fruits and vegetables. Their core product is their proprietary Champagne® Mango brand, complemented by five mango varieties (Haden, Tommy Atkins, Kent, Keitt). Their ready-to-eat vegetables include bell peppers, cucumbers, hot peppers, melons, and tomatoes, while their for-cooking category includes eggplant, green beans, hardshell squash, and squash. Services include cooling and warehousing (100,000+ sq ft facilities), freight-forwarding, procurement, and quality inspection. Products are sourced from the US, Mexico, Central and South America with operations near US-Mexico border crossings in Arizona and Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Champagne® Mango: Proprietary label mango brand from Chiapas, Mexico - signature item for Ciruli Brothers, available Feb-Aug from Mexico
• Ciruli Brothers, LLC
• C&V, LLC
• Grow Farms Texas, LLC

Products and services

• Mangos Fresh mango varieties including proprietary Champagne® brand, Haden, Tommy Atkins, Kent, and Keitt, sourced from Mexico and other regions, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Champagne® Mango Proprietary Ataulfo variety mango brand exclusively distributed by Ciruli Brothers, known for sweet candy-like flavor and velvety flesh free of fibers, available February through August from Mexico.
• Tomatoes Roma (Saladette) and Round (Vine Ripened) tomatoes sourced from Mexico, available January through May, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Bell Peppers Green and Red Elongated bell peppers available in conventional and organic grow methods, sourced from Mexico, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Cucumbers Green/Slicer cucumbers available in multiple pack styles including conventional and organic options, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Hot Peppers Hot pepper varieties including Anaheim, Jalapeño, Serrano, and Tomatillo sourced from Mexico, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Melons Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Watermelon (seeded and seedless) varieties sourced from Mexico, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Eggplant Eggplant varieties including Regular/American, Chinese, Indian, and Italian, sourced from Mexico, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Green Beans Green beans available in round and elongated varieties, sourced from Mexico with conventional and organic options, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Hardshell Squash Hardshell squash varieties including Acorn, Butternut, Kabocha, and Spaghetti, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Squash Squash varieties including Zucchini (Italian), Yellow, and Grey (Mexican), sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Cooling & Warehousing Services State-of-the-art cooling facilities with zone-controlled refrigeration systems split into various cold rooms, with temperature-controlled receiving and dispatching docks, providing consolidation, repacking, in-and-out, product inspection, and cold storage services.
• Freight-Forwarding & Logistics Services Integrated logistics services in partnership with leading national carriers for delivery to East and West coasts, including LTL and straight load options, with all vehicles inspected and equipped with cooling units and temperature recording devices.
• Procurement Services Procurement of conventional, hothouse, and organic produce from a network of reputable shippers across the US, Mexico, Central and South America, with customer order consolidation in one location for one-stop shopping.
• Quality Inspection & Repacking Services On-site quality inspections including In & Out services, consolidation, repacking, specialty packs, and splits/foodservice packs for retail, foodservice, and merchandising customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Champagne mangoes in peak season reach 8-10 loads per day, increasing to peak volume in the second week of March, available until end of July.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Horton Fruit CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2013Ciruli Brothers and Horton Fruit Company (Louisville, KY) formed a joint venture operating as Grow Farms Texas. The venture was announced on September 9, 2013, with industry veteran Tommy Wilkins joining as Director of Sales. Grow Farms Texas operates warehousing at Coastal Cooling in Pharr, Texas and has a sales office in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, extending Ciruli Brothers' distribution reach in the Texas market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fresh Del Monte Produce: Publicly traded multinational grower, shipper, and distributor of fresh and prepared fruit and vegetables including mango programs; overlaps with Ciruli Brothers on mango and vegetables but operates at much larger scale and across broader geographies.

Emerging players

• Wholesum Family Farms: Family-owned organic and sustainable produce grower-distributor of greenhouse vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash; comparable family-business scale, multi-country (Mexico) sourcing footprint, and organic/conventional mix.

Direct peers

• Driscoll's: Largest berry grower-marketer with proprietary branded packaging and exclusive grower-ownership model; closely analogous to Ciruli Brothers' Champagne® mango positioning in that the brand itself is the key retail-anchor asset across the produce aisle.
• Prime Time International: Nogales/Sonora-headquartered grower-distributor of colored bell peppers, mini sweet peppers, and tomatoes sourced from Mexico — direct geographic and product overlap with Ciruli Brothers' bell pepper and tomato SKUs and matching border-crossing logistics needs.
• Mission Produce: Vertically integrated grower-distributor-importer of avocados with a similar multinational sourcing model (Mexico, Peru, Colombia, California) and ripening/distribution infrastructure in the U.S. Comparable business model and customer base to Ciruli Brothers' mango-and-vegetable book.
• Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce: Grower-distributor of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and berries with operations in Mexico (similar supply regions) and the U.S.; comparable customer mix in retail grocery and foodservice with similar cold-chain and repacking services.
• Naturipe Farms: Berry grower-marketer-distributor with a similar grower-ownership model and year-round multi-country sourcing strategy; sells into the same supermarket and foodservice channels and faces analogous cold-chain and brand-licensing considerations as Ciruli Brothers.
• Horton Fruit Company: Louisville, KY-based fresh produce distributor with a longstanding Grow Farms Texas joint venture with Ciruli Brothers; comparable U.S. distribution model into retail and foodservice channels, with overlapping sourcing from Mexico and Central America.
• Splendid Products: Importer and distributor of mangos and other tropical produce from Mexico and South America; the most direct head-to-head competitor to Ciruli Brothers on Champagne® mango retail accounts in chain grocery.
• Tanimura & Antle: Multi-generation family-owned produce grower-distributor (lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, fresh-cut, organics) with broad retail and foodservice penetration — directly comparable operating profile and family-business ethos to Ciruli Brothers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cirulibrothers
• Facebookfacebook.com/CiruliBrothers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ciruli-brothers-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Ciruli Brothers