Central West Produce

What Central West Produce does

Central West Produce is a privately held, family-owned berry grower and marketer founded in 1979 in Santa Maria, California, operating under the corporate identity and consumer-facing DBA "Berries by the Sea." The company produces and distributes four berry categories — strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries — in both conventional and organic varieties, sold in pack sizes ranging from 4.4oz to 4lb to retail grocery and wholesale buyers globally. As a fully integrated grower-and-marketer, it controls both cultivation across its own ranches and downstream sales, eliminating the middleman layer typical of pure shipper models.

The company operates across 17+ documented production locations spanning California (Santa Maria, Oxnard, Salinas/Watsonville), Florida (Lithia), North Carolina (Wilmington, Franklin), Oregon (Canby), and multiple Mexican states (Baja California, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán), with recent expansion into Peru (Trujillo, Piura). This multi-region footprint enables year-round fresh berry supply and counter-seasonal sourcing that single-region growers cannot replicate. Revenue is generated through B2B bulk and pack-sized fresh berry sales into retail grocery distribution channels (the single disclosed distribution channel is "Retail/Grocery Distribution" with a global geo-scope), with the company functioning as a wholesale supplier quoting per-volume.

Founded on 27 acres as a strawberry-only operation in 1979, Central West Produce has grown into what it self-describes as "one of the elite strawberry shippers of North America," now led by second-generation family owners. Public-side materials disclose no financial, headcount, or valuation data; pricing is opaque (no public rate card) and revenue is unconfirmed. Beyond core growing and shipping operations, the company maintains a limited consumer-facing presence through a recipe-marketing website section intended to drive downstream demand. The company is not funded externally, has no disclosed parent entity, and operates without reported M&A, restructuring, or leadership changes in the available record.

Name

Central West Produce

Legal name

Central West Produce

Website

https://centralwestproduce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central West Produce is a family-owned, fully integrated berry grower and marketer founded in 1979 in Santa Maria, California, producing and distributing conventional and organic strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries to retail and wholesale customers across North and South America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Maria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fresh Berry Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, both conventionally and organically grown. Products are sold in various pack sizes to retail and wholesale customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Central West Produce is a fully integrated grower and marketer of fresh berries, supplying strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries — both conventional and organic — in multiple pack sizes to retail grocery and wholesale customers worldwide. The company operates its own ranches and aligns with partner family farmers across six growing regions in North and South America to deliver consistent year-round supply.

Product overview

Central West Produce is a fully integrated berry grower and marketer established in 1979, operating across 6 growing regions throughout North America. The company offers a portfolio of four berry types—Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries—each available in both Conventional and Organic varieties. Their products are sold in various pack sizes ranging from 4.4oz to 4lb, with distribution across California, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Mexico, Peru, and Chile. The company operates as a unified berry business where each product category (Conventional and Organic variants of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries) represents distinct product lines within their single product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conventional Strawberries Conventionally grown strawberries sold year-round in multiple pack sizes (8.8oz to 4lb, plus Long Stem and 48 Ct. Stem options) sourced from California, Florida, and Mexico regions, intended for retail grocery and wholesale produce buyers.
• Organic Strawberries Organically grown strawberries available in 8.8oz, 1lb, and 2lb pack sizes sourced from Mexico (Irapuato, Guanajuato), intended for retail grocery and wholesale produce buyers seeking organic SKUs.
• Conventional Blueberries Conventionally grown blueberries available in pack sizes from 6oz to 32oz, sourced from California, Mexico, Florida, Peru, and Chile regions for retail grocery and wholesale produce buyers.
• Organic Blueberries Organically grown blueberries available in 4.4oz, 6oz, Dry Pint, and 18oz packs sourced from California Central Valley, Oregon (Canby), and North Carolina (Wilmington), intended for organic-focused retail and wholesale buyers.
• Conventional Raspberries Conventionally grown raspberries available in 6oz and 12oz pack sizes sourced from Mexico (Irapuato, Guanajuato), for retail grocery and wholesale produce buyers.
• Organic Raspberries Organically grown raspberries available in 6oz and 12oz pack sizes for retail grocery and wholesale produce buyers seeking organic SKUs.
• Conventional Blackberries Conventionally grown blackberries available in 6oz and 12oz pack sizes sourced from Mexico and North Carolina regions, intended for retail grocery and wholesale produce buyers.
• Organic Blackberries Organically grown blackberries available in 6oz and 12oz pack sizes sourced from California (Santa Maria) for retail grocery and wholesale produce buyers seeking organic SKUs.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• California Giant Berry Farms: California-based grower-marketer of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries with international sourcing. Comparable multi-berry, multi-region grower-shipper competing for the same retail customers.
• Hortifrut: Global blueberry and other berry producer with operations spanning North and South America (including Peru and Chile). Comparable multi-region blueberry strategy with counter-seasonal hemispheric supply.
• Driscoll's: The largest berry producer in North America, growing strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries across multiple regions. Most direct comparable given similar multi-berry, multi-region grower-marketer model and elite industry positioning.
• Well-Pict Berries: Premium strawberry and raspberry grower based in Watsonville, California, with year-round supply via Mexico and Florida. Comparable berry grower-marketer with similar California roots and multi-region sourcing.
• Wish Farms: Family-owned berry grower and shipper based in Florida, with year-round strawberry and blueberry supply across multiple US and Mexican regions. Comparable family-owned, vertically integrated berry shipper profile.
• Naturipe Farms: Major grower-owned marketer of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries with operations across North and South America. Closely comparable in product mix, multi-region footprint, and grower-marketer business model.
• Berry Fresh: California-based grower-marketer of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries with year-round supply via Mexico and Chile. Comparable integrated grower-shipper serving retail and wholesale channels.
• Oregon Berry Packing: Specialty grower and packer of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and marionberries in Oregon. Comparable in growing and packing operations for multiple berry types, especially organic.

Broad incumbents

• Fresh Del Monte Produce: Large diversified fresh produce producer-marketer with global operations including berries. Broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities across fresh fruit distribution but not specialized in berries.

Emerging players

• Sunny Valley Organics: Organic-focused berry producer. Comparable in the organic berry segment, particularly relevant to Central West Produce's organic blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/centralwestproduce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-west-produce

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 Central West Produce