Chilean company Empresas Sutil has reached an agreement to acquire California-based Sunshine Raisin Corporation (National Raisin Company), a company dedicated to the dried fruit industry. 

“The Bedrosian family and National Raisin Company are delighted to be part of this new global approach to dried fruit marketing. This event will bring greater stability to the global raisin market. More importantly, it will benefit California raisin growers, generating a direct positive impact from a global market perspective,” said J. Kenneth Bedrosian, chairman of the board of directors of National Raisin Company, in a statement.

“On behalf of all National Raisin employees and our California growers, we welcome the Sutil Group to the San Joaquin Valley. We have been working with the Sutil family for some time and with Pacific Nut for over ten years, and their strong commitment to the growers and their partners is evident,” said Mark McCormick, CEO of National Raisin Company.

The National Raisin Company indicated that this operation will allow it to grow and diversify its international supply network in North America and Asia while benefiting from the broad customer base that Pacific Nut Company, part of Empresas Sutil, has developed by specializing in exporting premium dried fruits and nuts from Chile to world markets since 1992.

“This strategic alignment will further strengthen National's market leadership position with supermarket chains, industrial users, and global food suppliers, expand its export sales, and make National a more important player in the California raisin and other fruit market,” the California company said.

For his part, Juan Sutil, founder and chairman of the board of Empresas Sutil, said that “as a family business, we are honored to receive the keys to National Raisin Company from the Bedrosian family.”

“We are committed to continue cultivating National's long-lasting relationships with its employees, customers, California producers, suppliers, and the community, always aiming for excellence and guided by our core values of trust, accountability, transparency, and respect, which have inspired us in building Empresas Sutil for more than forty years,” he added.

Sunshine Raisin Corporation is one of the leading processors in the United States in the category of premium quality dried fruits and dried fruit-based ingredients.

Currently, the companies that are part of Empresas Sutil are Pacific Nut Company, Frutícola Olmué, Top Wine Group, Champiñones Abrantes, Banagro, Agrícola Sutil and Coagra.

As reported, the closing of the transaction would occur at the end of September, once the regulatory conditions are met.