Sunsweet Ingredients

What Sunsweet Ingredients does

Sunsweet Ingredients is the B2B ingredient division of Sunsweet Growers Inc., a grower-owned agricultural cooperative headquartered in Yuba City, California, founded in 1917 as the California Prune and Apricot Growers Association. The company supplies prune-based functional ingredients to food manufacturers, processors, and foodservice operators globally, targeting R&D professionals and product developers in bakery, meat and poultry, sauces and condiments, confectionery, and alternative protein applications. Its principal customer segments are industrial food manufacturers and foodservice operators such as hotels, restaurants, caterers, and institutions.

Sunsweet Ingredients' product line is built around the unique composition of the prune plum, which contains naturally high levels of sorbitol, dietary fiber, antioxidant phenolic compounds (including neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids), and organic acids. Through proprietary processing at its 22-acre Yuba City facility — the largest dried plum processing facility in the world — the company converts fresh prune plums into seven core ingredient formats: Fresh Plum Concentrate, Prune Juice Concentrate, Prunes (Dried Plums, diced or whole/pitted), Dried Plum Puree, Dried Plum Powder, Prune Paste, and Prune Bits. These ingredients are engineered for functional applications including moisture binding capable of replacing phosphates in meat products, sugar, fat, and sodium reduction, natural browning and color enhancement, lipid oxidation suppression, and clean label formulation.

The company operates a B2B sales-led model selling ingredients in bulk to food manufacturers, supplemented by event-driven customer acquisition at industry trade shows including IFT FIRST and regional IFT events. Revenue is generated through one-time ingredient sales rather than recurring licensing. The company does not publicly disclose pricing, and sales inquiries are routed through sample request forms limited to food industry professionals. Distribution is direct B2B domestically and through regional partnerships in Japan and South Korea, with international sourcing relationships extending to Chile, Argentina, and Australia. All ingredients are Non-GMO and Triangle K Kosher/Pareve certified, and three products (Fresh Plum Concentrate, Dried Plum Powder, Dried Plum Puree) hold USDA approval for use as binders in meat and poultry products at up to 2% of total formulation.

Name

Sunsweet Ingredients

Legal name

Sunsweet Growers Inc.

Website

https://sunsweetingredients.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sunsweet Ingredients is the B2B ingredient division of Sunsweet Growers Inc., a grower-owned cooperative. It supplies prune-based functional ingredients—concentrates, purees, powders, pastes, and dried plums—to food manufacturers and foodservice operators across bakery, meat, sauce, and alternative protein applications globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food Ingredients

NAICS

Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (311930)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Dried Fruit & Fruit Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Clean-Label/Natural Flavor Solutions (Natural WONF, Natural Identical where applicable) (AFAJADAL)

Keywords

• Prune ingredients
• Food ingredients
• Dried plum products
• Functional food ingredients
• Clean label ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Ingredient Sales: Sells prune-based ingredients to food manufacturers, processors, and foodservice operators. Ingredients are sold in bulk formats for use in product formulation. The company targets R&D professionals and product developers at food companies who incorporate prune ingredients into their manufacturing processes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sunsweet Ingredients is the B2B ingredient division of Sunsweet Growers Inc., producing prune-based functional food ingredients for food manufacturers, processors, and foodservice operators. The product line spans concentrates, purees, powders, pastes, dried fruit pieces, and juice concentrates used for moisture binding, fat reduction, sugar reduction, sodium reduction, and clean label formulation across bakery, meat/poultry, sauces, confectionery, and alternative protein applications. All processing occurs at the company's 22-acre Yuba City, California facility, the largest dried plum processing facility in the world.

Product overview

Sunsweet Ingredients offers a versatile portfolio of prune-based food ingredients for food industry professionals. The product line includes Fresh Plum Concentrate (for browning and moisture binding), Prune Juice Concentrate (for fat and sugar reduction), Prunes/Dried Plums (diced and whole/pitted), Dried Plum Puree (for binding and fat reduction), Dried Plum Powder (for moisture binding and color), Prune Paste (for texture and fat replacement), and Prune Bits (for inclusions). These ingredients are designed for R&D professionals in bakery, meat/poultry, sauces, and culinary applications, enabling sugar reduction, fat reduction, moisture binding, and clean label formulation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PlumGood: A prune juice drink product marketed for digestive health and fiber.

Products and services

• Fresh Plum Concentrate Concentrate made from prune plums before drying, with a tart cherry flavor and maple syrup consistency. Used by food manufacturers for browning, moisture binding, and sugar reduction in culinary, meat/poultry, sauce, and bakery applications. USDA-approved as a binder in meat and poultry products at up to 2% of formulation.
• Prune Juice Concentrate Sweet and mildly tangy concentrate with a molasses-like consistency at 70°Bx Brix. Used for moisture binding, fat reduction, sugar reduction, and color enhancement in sauces, bakery items, and bar formulations.
• Prunes (Dried Plums) Dried prune plums available diced or whole/pitted, with 9.5% total fiber content. Higher in fiber and lower in sugar than raisins, dates, and cranberries. Used in baked goods for roasted, caramelized flavor and in savory recipes.
• Dried Plum Puree Concentrated puree made from a blend of Dried Plums and Prune Juice Concentrate, high in sorbitol with a tangy, molasses-like flavor. Used for moisture binding, fat reduction, lipid oxidation suppression, and color enhancement. USDA-approved as a binder in meat and poultry products at up to 2% of formulation.
• Dried Plum Powder Hygroscopic powder ground from whole prunes, slightly tacky to touch, containing 16.74% fiber. Used for color enhancement, moisture binding, and purge absorption in bakery, meat, and seasoning applications. USDA-approved as a binder in meat and poultry products at up to 2% of formulation.
• Prune Paste Sturdy paste made by macerating and passing pitted prunes through a grinding plate, containing 11.95% fiber. Can be ground, chopped, or blended. Used for moisture binding, fat replacement, and texture in meat and bar applications.
• Prune Bits Free-flowing pieces made by dicing prune paste, low in water content with a mild flavor, containing 11.05% fiber. Used as inclusions or hydrated and blended into fruit purees for meat, sauce, and bakery applications.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition ingredient supplier serving food and beverage manufacturers with flavors, functional ingredients, and clean-label solutions. Comparable in targeting the same R&D and product developer audience with clean-label and sugar/sodium reduction solutions, but with a much broader ingredient portfolio.
• Ingredion: Large publicly traded ingredient supplier offering specialty starches, sweeteners, and clean-label solutions to food manufacturers. Competes with Sunsweet in clean-label moisture binding, sugar reduction, and texture applications but at significantly broader scale and portfolio breadth.
• Cargill: Global agribusiness and food ingredient conglomerate supplying sweeteners, starches, proteins, and specialty fruit-based ingredients through its food ingredients business. Overlaps with Sunsweet in natural fruit-based and clean-label ingredient categories but competes at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• National Raisin Company: Producer of raisin-based ingredients and dried fruit products serving bakery, cereal, and snack manufacturers. Directly comparable as a B2B supplier of dried-fruit-derived ingredients with similar functional and flavor applications.
• Sun-Maid Growers of California: Grower-owned cooperative producing raisins and other dried fruit ingredients for food manufacturers. Operates a similar vertically integrated cooperative model with B2B ingredient supply to bakery, cereal, and snack manufacturers, making it a direct structural and product peer to Sunsweet Ingredients.
• Ocean Spray Cranberries: Grower-owned cooperative selling cranberry-based ingredients (dried cranberries, juices, concentrates) to food manufacturers and foodservice. Closely comparable cooperative structure, fruit-based ingredient portfolio, and B2B go-to-market targeting bakery, beverage, and snack customers.
• Tree Top: Grower-owned cooperative producing apple-based ingredients including juices, purees, and concentrates for food manufacturers. Comparable cooperative model and supply of fruit-derived ingredients with functional applications in bakery, beverage, and sauces.
• Welch's: Grower-owned cooperative producing grape-based juices, concentrates, and ingredients. Comparable cooperative structure and B2B supply of fruit-derived functional ingredients (sugars, colorants, flavors) to food and beverage manufacturers.
• Mariani Packing Company: Family-owned supplier of dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, cherries, prunes) and fruit-based ingredients for food manufacturers. Directly competes with Sunsweet in the dried-fruit ingredient category across bakery, cereal, and snack applications.
• Knouse Foods: Producer of branded fruit products (Lucky Leaf, Musselman's) and bulk fruit ingredients including purees, juices, and sauces. Directly comparable as a supplier of fruit-based B2B ingredients to food manufacturers and foodservice operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sunsweet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cropsource-international-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sunsweetgrowersinc
• Pinterestpinterest.com/sunsweet

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 Sunsweet Ingredients