CHAMPAIGN, IL and BATAVIA, OH – Verdant Partners LLC, a leading food and agribusiness M&A advisory firm, has further expanded its team to facilitate new relationships and connectivity within the produce sector. Jason Fuller and Randy Riley, two produce industry veterans, have joined Verdant Partners’ team of Advisors to further promote M&A services.
Fuller brings deep expertise and knowledge of the buy / sell process between grower and retailer. Riley started his career as a produce clerk in the stores and graduated to other roles such as produce coordinator, produce buyer, promotional planner, category manager and director of produce. Together, Riley and Fuller have over 55 years of experience within the produce industry. In addition to their activities with Verdant Partners, Fuller and Riley own and operate a produce marketing consulting company called Golden Sun Insights, which has worked on projects covering a wide range of crops, including but not limited to citrus, sweet corn, peaches, greens, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, onions, apples, and grapes.
“Produce company owners are showing interest in an exit strategy for a variety of reasons and at the same time we are seeing an increase in demand from private equity as well as from other produce companies looking to acquire. We are seeing a lot of opportunities for investors,” explains Jason Fuller.
“Our vast network of diverse companies enables us to facilitate closing the gap between supply and demand in the produce sector,” adds Randy Riley.
Verdant Partners differentiates itself from other M&A firms by aligning with industry-specific specialists, furthering the understanding of complicated issues and observed trends, and thus brining value to clientele.
“We are excited for Randy and Jason to combine their expertise and knowledge of the produce sector with our knowledge of the M&A landscape,” says Dean Cavey, Managing Partner of Verdant Partners. “The produce space is fertile ground yielding an abundance of interest from financial and strategic investors alike. It is expected to be one of the most active segments for M&A in the food and ag space in the coming years.”
Randy Riley can be contacted at: randyriley@verdantpartners.com and Jason Fuller can be contacted at: jasonfuller@verdantpartners.com
About Verdant Partners
Verdant Partners is wholly focused on global food and agribusiness. We advise buyers and sellers through the business transactions that shape the competitive landscape of our industry. We have built a team of professionals with real world industry experience, having developed skills that extend beyond those of traditional M&A advisors. For this reason, we are recognized as a leading transaction advisory group for the global food and agribusiness industry.