GreenFruit Avocados, a California-based avocado supplier with a decade-plus track record in ripening, cold storage and distribution, has been acquired by a powerful partnership of industry veterans committed to building a vertically integrated avocado company with global supply reach and California leadership.
GreenFruit 2.0
The acquiring group includes Scott Bauwens and Jamie Johnson, partners in Simpatica, one of California's largest avocado growers; Jim Donovan, former Senior Vice President of Global Sourcing at Mission Produce; and Tahuaycani, a Spanish investment company with deep involvement in one of the largest avocado growers in Peru, Agricola Cerro Prieto (ACP Agro). Together, they have acquired 100 percent of GreenFruit Avocados via the newly formed holding company, Last Mile, and will be supported in the acquisition by an investment fund managed by New York-based Ospraie Management, LLC.
Scott Bauwens brings more than 21 years of global executive management experience in the avocado industry, including 12 years as Vice President of Global Sourcing with one of the largest U.S. avocado distributors, 10 years on the Hass Avocado Board and seven years on the California Avocado Commission. He will step back from his role as CEO at Simpatica to serve full-time as Chief Executive Officer of GreenFruit. Jim Donovan, whose career at Mission Produce, spanning over 36 years, helped conceptualize and build global supply and consumer demand for avocados, will serve as Executive Chairman of the board. Brian Gomez, one of GreenFruit's original owners, will serve as President of Sales.
GreenFruit Avocados will remain headquartered in Orange County, California, with expanded supply operations across South America, California, Mexico and Europe.
© GreenFruit Avocados
From left to right: Jim Donovan, Scott Bauwens, and Brian Gomez.
"This partnership was formed around a simple conviction: the avocado industry rewards companies that control the supply chain and bring the right leadership, the right growers and the right capital together," says Jim Donovan, Executive Chairman of GreenFruit Avocados. GreenFruit 2.0 gives us the distribution and operational foundation to do that. Together, we can build something that benefits every customer and grower we work with."
Grower, packer, shipper and ripener across North and South America
Under new ownership, GreenFruit will operate as a grower, packer, shipper and ripener across North and South America. Tahuaycani's connection to ACP Agro and one of the world's leading avocado producing regions in Peru provides scale and year-round sourcing capability. Simpatica's approximately 1,400 acres of established California groves are built on four generations of farming in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Riverside counties and add captive domestic growing capacity at the heart of the U.S. market.
"This is industry-savvy ownership with real grower relationships in a vertically integrated model," says Scott Bauwens, CEO of GreenFruit. "We understand this business from the ground up. For growers, that means a financially stronger partner who knows their world. For retailers and distributors, that means a team with the credibility and the supply depth to deliver on what we promise. GreenFruit's success will be earned by exceeding customer expectations."
GreenFruit's ripening and distribution centers operate across Southern California, Texas, Chicago, Miami, Pennsylvania, Toronto and Vancouver. These facilities anchor North American operations and position the company strategically near major distribution channels, supported by an experienced GreenFruit team. Mexico remains a core foundation of the sourcing model, with the acquisition adding capital, global supply depth and seasoned leadership to an already strong platform.
Continuity of customer and grower relationships and contracts will remain a top priority for all entities in the transaction.
"We built GreenFruit on a belief that controlling the process is what delivers the perfect avocado," commented Brian Gomez, President of Sales. "To take that to the next level, we needed three things: leadership that the industry respects, partners committed to vertical growth and the financial strength to secure GreenFruit's future. This team delivered all three."
A different answer to a consolidating market
The announcement comes as the avocado category undergoes significant consolidation. The GreenFruit partnership reflects a different thesis: market opportunity belongs to companies that compete on quality, stable pricing and supply chain reliability. The company enters this next chapter well-capitalized with strong financial partners, including an investment fund managed by Ospraie Management, LLC, which invests institutional capital in real assets across various sectors including agriculture, energy, metals and mining, commodity processing and logistics. Post-close, Ospraie's support will continue through direct participation on the GreenFruit Board of Directors.
The GreenFruit ownership group is committed to long-term investment in people, distribution and value-added infrastructure. The transaction closed April 24, 2026. Terms were not disclosed.
For more information:
GreenFruit Avocados
Tel: +1 (949) 251-0963
[email protected]
www.greenfruitavocados.com
