FDF Latin America

What FDF Latin America does

FDF Latin America (legal name: Farm Direct Foods Latin America S.A. de C.V.) is a B2B supplier of dehydrated food ingredients headquartered in Querétaro, Mexico, and operating as a regional subsidiary of Thrive Freeze Dry. The company serves industrial food and beverage manufacturers across Latin America with a portfolio spanning five product categories—vegetables, spices, herbs, fruits, and chiles & meats—together with a Superfoods line and end-markets that include plant-based foods, health & wellness, nutritional supplements, and pet food. The company traces its origin to 1989 (IAPSA, the first Mexican operator of freeze-dry technology for fruits and vegetables), was formally rebranded as FDF Latin America in 2002, and has accumulated more than 30 years of operating history in the region.

The core technical offering is a portfolio of five dehydration technologies—Air-Dry, Freeze-Dry (lyophilization), Sun-Dry, Drum-Dry, and Spray-Dry—each suited to specific ingredients and applications, alongside an additional processing layer (mixing, grinding, sieving, storage, metal detection). Products are delivered in multiple presentations (whole, slices, flakes, cubes, granules, powder) and can be customized by cut type, solubility, and quality level. The company holds FSSC 22000 food safety certification and publishes a Code of Ethics and Sustainability policy.

Commercially, FDF Latin America runs a sales-led, direct B2B model with regional offices in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Guatemala (the last opened in 2024), supported by a manufacturing plant in China. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company serves more than 100 clients in Latin America, markets in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and distributes content through its website, country-specific downloadable catalogs, webinars, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Name

FDF Latin America

Legal name

Farm Direct Foods Latin America S.A. de C.V.

Website

https://fdfla.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

FDF Latin America is a B2B supplier of dehydrated food ingredients—vegetables, spices, herbs, fruits, chiles, meats, and superfoods—serving industrial food and beverage manufacturers across Latin America from offices in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Guatemala.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dehydrated Food Ingredients

NAICS

Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Dried & Dehydrated Fruit & Vegetables (Freeze-Dried, Air-Dried, Powders) (AFAKAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dried & Dehydrated Foods Manufacturing (AFAKACAK), Aromatic Alliums & Dehydrated Vegetables (Garlic, Onion, Shallot, Celery) (AFAJANAH), Ground & Powdered Spices (AFAJANAB)

Keywords

• Dehydrated food ingredients
• Freeze-dried ingredients
• Food ingredient supplier
• Plant-based ingredients
• Custom ingredient development

Headquarters

HQ city

Querétaro

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin 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. Custom Dehydrated Ingredients: B2B sales of tailor-made dehydrated ingredients (vegetables, spices, herbs, fruits, chiles, and meat-based) to food industry manufacturers. Ingredients are customized by cut type, presentation (powder, cubes, slices, whole), and dehydration method.
2. Additional Processing Services: Additional services including mixing, grinding, sieving, storage, and metal detection for ingredient customization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FDF Latin America supplies custom dehydrated food ingredients — vegetables, spices, herbs, fruits, chiles, and meat-based ingredients — to industrial food and beverage manufacturers across Latin America. Ingredients are processed using five proprietary dehydration methods (Air-Dry, Freeze-Dry, Sun-Dry, Drum-Dry, Spray-Dry) and offered in multiple presentations (whole, slices, flakes, cubes, granules, powder), complemented by additional processing services (mixing, grinding, sieving, storage, metal detection) and tailor-made ingredient development.

Product overview

FDF Latin America is a B2B supplier of custom dehydrated food ingredients for the food industry, organized as a unified product-and-service offering rather than a modular platform. The core portfolio spans five product categories: Vegetables (Vegetales), Spices (Especias), Herbs (Hierbas), Fruits (Frutas), and Chiles & Meats (Chiles y Carnicos), each comprising multiple ingredient varieties. These are processed through five distinct dehydration technologies—Air-Dry, Freeze-Dry, Sun-Dry, Drum-Dry, and Spray-Dry—selected based on the ingredient and customer application. The offering is complemented by additional processing services (mixing, grinding, sieving, storage, metal detection) and custom ingredient design capabilities, allowing customers to specify cut types, solubility, and quality levels. The company also offers a Superfoods ingredient line targeting health-conscious consumers. The portfolio is available in multiple presentations (whole, slices, flakes, cubes, granules, powder) and serves applications across soups, rice, sauces, dressings, condiments, pastas, bakery, snacks, plant-based products, beverages, supplements, and pet food. FDF Latin America is part of Thrive Freeze Dry with global reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dehydrated Vegetables (Vegetales)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Thrive Freeze DrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company with global reach and strategic locations in Europe, United States, Asia, and Latin America. FDF Latin America is proudly part of Thrive Freeze Dry, combining over 65 years of combined regional experience in dehydrated ingredients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kerry Group: Kerry Group is a global taste and nutrition company offering dehydrated and processed ingredients, seasonings, and functional ingredients to food and beverage manufacturers. Comparable to FDF Latin America as a broad incumbent serving overlapping F&B manufacturer customers with related ingredient categories.
• Ingredion Incorporated: Ingredion is a major global ingredient solutions provider serving food, beverage, and pet food manufacturers with starches, sweeteners, and plant-based ingredients. Comparable to FDF Latin America as a broad incumbent in food ingredient manufacturing serving overlapping industrial F&B customers.
• McCormick & Company: McCormick is a global leader in spices, seasonings, and flavors, supplying both consumer and industrial food manufacturers. Comparable to FDF Latin America's spice and herb dehydration portfolio and B2B ingredient model, though at vastly larger scale.
• Olam Food Ingredients: Olam Food Ingredients (ofi) is a global supplier of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts, and spices to industrial food manufacturers worldwide, with strong presence in emerging markets. Comparable to FDF Latin America as a broad incumbent in B2B food ingredient supply, particularly relevant for its spice and emerging-markets coverage.

Direct peers

• FutureCeuticals: FutureCeuticals is a US supplier of fruit, vegetable, and grain-based ingredients including freeze-dried powders and whole-food nutrition ingredients for supplements and functional foods. Comparable to FDF Latin America's Superfoods/Health & Wellness customer segment and freeze-dry/spray-dry ingredient capabilities.
• Van Drunen Farms: Van Drunen Farms is a US-based supplier of freeze-dried, air-dried, and drum-dried fruit, vegetable, and herb ingredients for the food, beverage, and supplement industries. Highly comparable to FDF Latin America given its overlapping dehydration technologies, custom B2B ingredient model, and multi-vertical customer base spanning F&B manufacturers and health/wellness brands.
• Mercer Foods: Mercer Foods is a US-based freeze-dried ingredient manufacturer serving food, beverage, and nutraceutical customers with custom-processed fruits, vegetables, and custom ingredient blends. Directly comparable to FDF Latin America's freeze-dry technology platform and B2B custom ingredient development model for industrial food manufacturers.
• DMH Ingredients: DMH Ingredients is a US supplier of dehydrated and dry-blended ingredients (onions, garlic, vegetables, custom blends) for food manufacturers, foodservice, and pet food. Comparable to FDF Latin America's vegetable and allium dehydration capabilities and B2B custom blend services.
• BCFoods: BCFoods is a global supplier of dehydrated vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices to industrial food manufacturers, with operations in China and a broad custom-ingredient offering. Highly comparable to FDF Latin America's product breadth, China-based manufacturing footprint, and B2B custom ingredient model serving soup, sauce, and seasoning customers.

Others

• Groneweg Group (Thrive Freeze Dry): Groneweg Group / Thrive Freeze Dry is the parent company of FDF Latin America and operates the broader global network of dehydrated ingredient production and marketing (including predecessor entities Surfrut, FDF Gmbh, FDP USA). Related party; included as the natural anchor for benchmarking FDFLA's positioning within the global Thrive network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fdflatinamerica3585
• Facebookfacebook.com/FDFLATAM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fdf-latin-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/fdf_latinamerica
• Xx.com/FDF_LATAM

Compliance2 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 FDF Latin America